The War Connection
by AlwaysDreaming18
Summary: Set during WWII in German occupied France, this is not simply a love story or a war story, but a story of how connections gained and lost create a map of destinies. And how five lives cross, changing history has we know it. OC/Hugo, OC/Landa, OC/Fredrick
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do own own the characters from Inglourious Basterds, they are property of Quentin Tarantino (I had to say that but I'm sure you already knew. I just don't want to get sued!)_

The room is dark, hiding within its cloak its beauty. The office is spacious, almost threatening in its large size and was decorated in an equally rigid fashion. All four walls were plastered with mahogany bookcases filled to the brim with aging volumes. On the far side of the room in front of a large window overlooking a park was a broad, dark chestnut writing desk. It was covered in papers, each in a stack, nicely organized. A golden eagle poised in a fashion that let its audience sense it was mid-attack, was perched in front. Beside the fierce bird was a name plate with _Colonel Hans Landa _etched into with bold letters.

The Colonel of the SS himself was sitting in the over-sized leather chair behind the desk, overlooking the park, the Eiffel tower visible in the background. He was dressed in his usual impeccable clean uniform, his trench coat and hat lay on the rack beside him. The sun was just beginning to set and it cast a golden glow on the whole scene. How much he wished he was out there, strolling through the trees and watching the squirrels gather their dinner. Instead, he was confined to his study reading over his new assignment.

This new assignment made him wish he was still out in the French countryside hunting Jews. It was dirty work, sure, but at least he was able to stretch his legs and the work was interesting but easy. However, he knew his new assignment was going to be anything but easy. They called themselves the Basterds, they were a group of American soldiers hiding somewhere is he French forests, killing off any German soldiers they came across. It seemed pretty simple, but there was one catch. They always left one private alive, but as a calling card the carved a swastika onto their forehead. So far two soldiers had returned with this mark, and the Fuhrer himself saw it necessary to enlist Landa's help to prevent the news from spreading.

Simply reading the file made him tired, and truthfully he didn't want anything to do with the case. In the beginning he had loved his work, even when he decided to join the Nazi party. He didn't mind hunting down Jews for the Fuhrer, he didn't have any personal connection with them so it was cut and dry work. But lately, he had been getting tired and bored with his job. There was no pleasure in it, maybe it was the war or maybe it was his fading beliefs in the Nazi ideals, but he found himself more and more daydreaming of being somewhere else. Usually, outside, maybe in the mountains in a cottage or simply walking in a park…but in these dreams he was never alone.

Recently, he had begun to notice an impending feeling of loneliness, even when he was around other people. It surprised him, his whole life he had never minded being alone. As a matter of fact he preferred it. He didn't have to worry about ever truly being alone anyway, he held a high position and everyone with any interest in the Nazi party wanted to be friends with him. He always had a group of people around him at work events and parties, almost to a point where it became overwhelming. He loved the attention though, where it was appropriate. And he was always able to charm a woman whenever he felt the need of an intimate touch. But his whole disinterest with his detective work, his party, and even his rather exciting personal life was finally catching up with him.

He wanted to leave everything behind and never have to look back, he knew that wasn't possible. His rank was too high and important to leave at such a crucial time of the war. He wouldn't be able to free himself of this prison until the war was over. How ironic, he thought to himself, that such an important member of the socialist party could care less about winning the war, the Allies could win for all he cared as long the war was over. The year was 1944 and the end was closer than Colonel Hans Landa could imagine.

Author Note:

That's chapter one, I hope you like it! Please leave me a review, and let me know what you think. I should be uploading the next chapter in a couple of days ;)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

It was late, probably close to one in the morning when she heard the loud noises start. Elizabeth awoke with a start, not sure what was going on. Her apartment was pitch-black and she sat up, allowing her eyes to adjust to the lack of light. There was silence for a moment, but then there was a loud noise, like someone was banging a door. She froze, paralyzed by fear assuming that it must be her door. But who would want to come to visit her in the middle of the night? It couldn't be good; she sat there in her bed, afraid to move.

Then she heard the cracking of wood as someone's door was smashed through. A woman's cream echoed from outside her apartment. Multiple male voices were yelling, and the sounds of an obvious struggle rang out from the hallway. Confusion fogged Elizabeth's brain as she tried to comprehend what was taking place outside her door. Was it a robbery? Should she call the police? What it was a lover's quarrel? These questions danced around her head, but in the end she knew what her response was, to simply cower in her bed until it was over.

It seemed like hours, but she knew it had only been a couple of minutes when there was suddenly silence outside her door. It was eerie and almost more terrifying then the loud crashes from before. She heard the thumps of boots walking past and the unnerving sound of something being dragged along the floorboards. Then there was a light knock and she knew this time it was her door. She was terrified and instinctively flinched away, but the second knock was more rigid and it demanded to be opened…or else. The 'else' being something she didn't want to find out.

Slowly, and delicate like a cat she approached the door. She pressed against it and peeked through the peek hole in her door to see who was on the other end. She couldn't make out a face, but she could see the uniform. Her hand slammed against her mouth as she tried to conceal a scream. These days a lot of things scared her, the war tended to do that to people, but nothing was worse to her than a Nazi soldier. Even though she was a German citizen herself, she had a strong dislike of them and even moving to Paris had not helped her escape them.

Having no other choice, she cracked open the door and asked "Yes, can I help you with something sir" in perfect German. The private in front of her raised his eyebrows in surprise and flashed the slightest of smiles.

"Sorry, to bother you at such a late time miss, but I need to give you this card. It gives the place and time for you to meet with one of our superiors. Sorry for the inconvenience and goodnight". He nodded curtly and marched off down the hallway.

Confused, she looked around to gather her senses and her eyes fell on the apartment across from hers. The door had indeed been smashed in, the apartment inside was in complete wreckage. There was shattered glass strewn throughout, not piece of furniture had escaped destruction. Tables lay sideways, lamps were overturned, a bookcase in the back had been knocked over leaving a sea of books washed over the pieces of broken furniture. But the piece that stuck out the most left Elizabeth with a lump in her throat. Resting on the mantle, alone surviving the destruction was a shining, gold David's star.

Back safely in her apartment, Elizabeth finally looked down at the card handed to her by the soldier. In neat, cursive handwriting was written _10:00, The German Embassy, Colonel Landa Room 312. _A panic began to rise in her, why would she need to go to the embassy? What could they possibly want from her? After witnessing what happened next door, she knew it wasn't good. As she lay back down in her bed that night, she knew that when she woke up the next morning, nothing would be the same.

Quick Author's Note:

I will be leaving in a couple of days for week and may not be updating while I'm gone. I hope to update tomorrow, but if not then hopefully at least by next Sunday. Thank you all for reading and I hope you are enjoying the story so far :) Feel free to leave a review if you like!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Liz was running late, after hours of not being able to fall asleep last night she was finally able to get a couple of hours rest. However, those couples of hours made her feel even worse and she felt like she had been hit by an army truck. She knew she should be getting ready to run out the door as fast as possible, but she was nervous about the meeting and was moving slightly slower than usual. She made herself some coffee and a bagel for a quick bite to eat before walking out the door. When she was finished, she looked up at the clock and jumped up. If she wasn't quick she might be late for practice again, and actually get kicked out this time.

Practice at the dance studio began at precisely 7 o' clock every weekend morning. Those who were lucky danced in the shows on the weekend, but so far she had not received a part in any of the ballets that fall or winter. She was hoping that the spring would bring better luck; Paris was the heart of the dance world. And even with the war still raging on, people turned out in large numbers to see a show. One show was all she needed to be seen and get noticed. But with her nasty habit of showing up repeatedly late, she may not even a chance to try out.

She went into the bathroom to wash her face, hoping that it would help freshen it since the sleepless night had dulled it, leaving dark circles under her eyes. When she was finished splashing cold water on her face, she toweled it off, and took a hard long look in the mirror. Her once tan skin was now pale, which made her light green eyes stand out. She had faint freckles on her cheeks, and her mouth was small, but pouty. And her rich, dark brown hair fell around her face in waves. She had always known that she was pretty, but always felt slightly boyish. Her petite body was perfect for dancing, but prevented her from having the curves other women her age did. _It doesn't matter now_ she thought and began to brush her teeth and pin her hair in a tight bun.

She quickly got dressed and a grabbed her purse, when everything was in order she opened her door and ran out, tripping over something she yelled out and braced herself as she awkwardly fell on her knees. Surprised, she glanced back at what had caused her to fall and laughed. Her newspaper laid in front of the door opening. She stood up and brushed herself off, she bent over and picked the paper up, intending to place it on the kitchen table to read later. But as she opened it to lay it flat on the table top her heart stopped short. Staring back she was a familiar face, although it was not exactly as she remembered it. This face was hard and cold, not the soft face she was used to seeing. She caught the name Hugo Stiglitz in the headline. She wanted nothing more than to read the story but she had no time. She left the paper on the table eager to read it when she returned home. But now it was time to go to the studio, and later the embassy.

The studio was the famous Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris, it was one of the world's oldest running ballet companies and had turned out many famous ballerinas. It had been her dream to one day work here, and when the war began she thought it would be impossible. But, when the Germans gained occupation of France she knew she had a chance again. It wasn't easy, especially with her background, and took about two and a half years, but she was finally able to come last fall.

She had worked so hard to be accepted as a student here, but since she had arrived in the city she had trouble keeping up. After only a few days in Paris, it became apparent that she would not be getting a payng part in a play any time soon. She was forced to search around for another dance job. She couldn't find anything with the performing arts, but a friend from the studio told her about another dancing job. At first Elizabeth was shocked, and couldn't imagine herself doing anything so low. But she discovered that a lot of the girls at the studio did it to pay the bills, and she looked around for a cabaret position as well. She was lucky enough to find a position at the Peacock Lounge, a popular destination for Nazi soldiers during the evening. She hated entertaining Nazi's, but they loved her because she spoke German and would invite her to come join them at their tables. They usually tipped her enough to pay her rent for a month, and she simply had to sit next to them and laugh at their horrible jokes like they were funny.

As she walking she could see the two towering gold angels beckoning her towards the building. She loved the academy's building, it was so majestic and beautiful that it made people feel like it truly was something important, essential to the city and the world. She walked through the main door and into the awe inspiring theater. Although it was old, dating to the 1600s, it was large and with its many opera boxes and large domed ceiling, it made anyone who entered feel small and vulnerable.

She made it just in time and climbed the steps onto the stage and joined the line of dancers already waiting for instructions. Usually she loved practice, dancing was her whole life, but that day she just went through the motions. She couldn't enjoy any of it, because she could not stop worrying about her appointment with Colonel Landa right after class. It must have shown, because her instructor, Monsieur Herriot, asked her to stay for a moment after class was over. Truthfully she didn't have a moment to spare, but she stopped to make sure she wasn't in trouble.

"Everything alright Monsieur Herriot?' she asked.

"Yes, everything's fine, I'm just worried about you. Lately, you're always running late to practice, and when you're here your head is somewhere else. I've ignored it long enough, but I must warn you that if you keep carrying on this way I will be forced to ask you to leave the program."

"What? I'm so sorry Monsieur Herriot I meant no disrespect. I simply have been working a lot lately, but I swear I'm trying my hardest here."

He looked her with sullen eyes, "I know you are, I would hate to see such a great talent wasted." It surprised her that he thought she was talented. She thought her didn't like her since he hadn't placed her in any of the shows.

"I'm sorry, I had leave to now but I swear I'll try harder to be on time," she promised as she started for the theater's doors. He stared after her, wondering if she truly understood what he was trying to tell her. If she kept rushing through life, she would never have time to enjoy life or find her place in the world.

Another Authors Note:

How did you like the chapter? Please leave a review for me below giving me your thoughts, criticism is welcome as well. Also, I'm looking for a beta reader for my future chapters. If your interested please message me or let me know in a review. Thank you all for reading my story, it means a lot to me!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Inside the German Embassy people were everywhere; most were dressed in Nazi uniform attire and appeared to be right at home, while others who were not looked nervous and uncomfortable. Elizabeth was one of the latter. The man who had directed her to the waiting room had been cold and even smirked at her when she told him who she was to see and it gave her a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been late, but it didn't seem to matter, the man had said it would still be quite a while before Colonel Landa would be able to see her.

The wait lasted over an hour and she wondered what in the hell he could be doing to be so late to his own appointment. The longer she was forced to wait the more anxious she became, and even her anger could not over power the fear. Her stomach dropped when she saw a man approach her. He was small and his uniform seemed too big him and didn't fit him right. It made it look as though he didn't belong in it and shouldn't be wearing it. However, what really set him apart was the fact that he wore a smile and seemed genuinely happy. He introduced himself as Herman and directed her to follow him to Colonel Landa's office.

The trip was a quick elevator ride to the third floor and a few short strides to a door which read '_Room 312 Colonel Hans Landa Schutzstaffel'. _Herman seemed to notice her anxiety and gave her smile, "He's not so bad, don't worry. He's not a hawk, He won't swoop down he devour you." She knew his words were meant to relax her, but they just made her even more scared. He knocked the door three times and a voice yelled "Come In". Herman opened the door and motioned her inside. She apprehensively walked in and the door closed behind her. She had never felt so alone and vulnerable then in that moment.

She had never been inside an officer's office before, especially someone of such high ranking like a Colonel The room was cold and she was suddenly aware that in the chaos that morning she had forgotten her coat. It was also dark, cluttered but clean and there seemed to be hominess to the room. _Which makes sense, _she thought, _he must practically live here anyway. _After a brief glance around the room her eyes settled on the man sitting behind the desk at the far side of the room. She could tell from across the room that he was short, and he wore a large smile on his face, like Herman. _Maybe not all Nazi's are bad after all_ she reasoned to herself.

He stood up and motioned with his hand for her sit across from him in one of the plush chairs. She did so and he sat back down. "Hello, my dear. My name is Colonel Landa, and I promise not to take up too much of your time. I simply need to ask you a few questions." Although he was still smiling, up close she could see that there was something about his eyes, they were nearly hawk like. She could see them taking everything in, calculating her every move. Herman's statement before she walked into the room echoed in her head and she could feel herself begin to sweat.

"You look nervous can I offer you a cigarette?" She answered yes a little too quickly and he passed her one. "German, not that French shit, I can't stand the taste," he said as he lit it for her. He sat back in his seat and watched her for moment. She was sure he could see her hands shaking as she puffed at the cigarette.

His face turned serious as he began to speak again. "What do know about the events that took place at apartment 110 this morning at approximately 1:00am"? He glanced up at her awaiting a response, his eyes dark and demanding.

"W-ell…" she stumbled. "I'm sure not what exactly happened. I heard a bunch of loud noises, but that's about it. An officer knocked on my door after and told me to come to this appointment, and that's all I can think of right now." She afraid of lying to him, but she was also afraid to disclose too much information. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to know how much of a struggle there was, and that her neighbor was probably Jewish.

He looked in her in the eye like he knew that she was lying. "I see," he said. "Well, did you happen to see your neighbor, Frau Rosenburg yesterday? Did you speak with her perhaps?

This time she didn't have to lie. "No, sir, I wasn't close with her. As a matter of fact I'm not sure if I had even met her before. The tenants in my building tend to stick to themselves and we don't social that often." He seemed displeased with her answer but wrote it down on the white piece of paper in front him.

"Well, Miss Himmel everything seems in order. I told you I wouldn't take too much of your time."

She sighed in relief and began to gather herself to stand up, but he stopped her short. "Oh, there was one more thing I wanted to ask you."

She looked up at him in surprise. "Yes?"

"Does the name Hugo Stiglitz ring a bell?" He grinned at her in victory as all the color in her face washed away.

She sat frozen in bother surprise in fear. _How does he know anything about that? And why would matter? _While, she was thinking of what to say, Hans stared at her with an intense look, making his eyes appear black. "I'm waiting," he reminded her. "Would it help you if I asked in you English?" he asked in perfect English.

"Excuse me?" Shock spread all over her body at hearing her native language.

"You heard me," he said unblinking.

The meeting had turned ugly, and as the seconds passed by she realized this was about more than about what happened last night. And that this was more of an interrogation than a simple meeting.

"I don't understand," she answered back in German, still confused and terrified.

"Do you, or don't you know Herr. Stiglitz? And before you decide to answer," He said with a glint in his eye "know that I already know the answer." He sat back and smiled, looking pleased with himself.

"I do know Hugo, or at least did know him. I haven't seen or heard from him since he joined the military a few years ago."

"I see, have you heard anything about him recently?"

"If you mean what's in the papers this morning then no. I saw his name in a headline, but I didn't have a chance to read the article as I was running fairly late."

"Then let me inform you of his current events. Herr Stiglitz decided that he should murder has many high ranking Nazi officers as possible. He was able to murder 13, before he was caught. They were murdered in the most horrible ways, they all had slow deaths. He says his only regret is that he wasn't able to kill more. His in currently in a prison here in the city, but is set to be transferred to Berlin within a couple weeks to be made an example of."

The news hit her like a ton of bricks, but she didn't let him see how much it hurt her. It made her sad, which is why he told her she was sure. He was trying to get a rise out of her. Somehow he had managed to look into her past and knew they had a close relationship…at one time anyway. She thought of Hugo's face, although tough it was soft and he always had a lop-sided grin on his face. Her mind drifted off to where she was home, many years before.

Authors Note:

Thank you to those who left a review, it means a lot to hear from readers and that they are enjoying the story so far. I have managed to slip in one more chapter before I leave, but it will be about a week until the next update. Still looking for beta readers if your interested, and I hope you have a wonderful week!


	5. Chapter 5

It was spring time, and her Aunt Baier had sent her off to the market to get food for dinner that night. It was a sunny day, the first real warm day of the year and she hadn't minded the walk into town. The first stop she made was to the local butcher, where Hugo worked for his father. Although, he was tall and muscular, his body was misleading to his personality. He was quiet, and Elizabeth liked that about him. Studying at a University, he was one of the brightest men she knew and one of the few people in her life that she knew was going somewhere. She walked into the shop and and upon seeing her Hugo flashed one of his award winning smiles, and she nearly melted. she hoped he didn't see the way he affected her.

They had been friends for years, and she had always had a bit of a crush on him. They shared the same ideals, more than her and her boyfriend of the time, Heinrich Fuchs. She remembered how he acted when they first began to notice the rise of the Socialist Party. All three of them had been sitting outside a local café eating and talking when a large rally walked by. They were yelling and holding signs promoting fascist ideals. The supporters were known to be violent and Elizabeth had been relived when the rally finally passed by. Germany had been hit hard by the Great War, and many were suffering. This suffering had led to extreme ideas and many were behind the election of Adolf Hitler as president. But, his passion scared Elizabeth, and Hugo shared the same sentiment. But, Heinrich embraced it. His family had been struggling since the war and believed what Hitler said, that he would bring Germany back to its former glory.

When Hitler was elected president everything happened so fast. Suddenly, they were thrust into this new government; Hitler became power hungry and created himself as the Fuhrer and Chancellor of the Third Reich. It happened so fast that people were forced to either accept it, or flee against it. Before Elizabeth had a chance to think of fleeing, the news came that the American ambassador had fled Berlin, and Elizabeth knew she couldn't escape. Although she was American born, she had come to Germany when she was nine to study dance and to have a better chance of becoming a part of a world-wide known ballet company. She had gained her citizenship only three years before the war began. She was afraid she may look suspicious in the eyes of the Nazis and tried not to bring any attention to herself.

It had been a difficult time in her life and it still continued, as was evident from the situation she was now finding herself in. She looked into Colonel Landa's unfeeling eyes and tried to hide the tears that were threatening to fall down her face. "Miss Himmel, I am almost certain that you are a good, law abiding citizen of the Third Reich, but I have to admit that your connection to Herr Stiglitz is quite suspicious. And the fact that you are first and foremost an American citizen as well, may lead some to think, that well…you are an American spy".

Just when she was sure it couldn't get any worse, it had gotten a lot worse. But, instead of feeling scared, like she expected, anger boiled up inside of her. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing?" she said, her voice rising. "I am a citizen of Germany and I am proud of it. I love my county and I would never do anything to cause any doubt otherwise. And for your information Colonel, yes I was once very close to Hugo, he was my friend. But I have no control of what he did nor do I agree with it. Now if you do not have any more questions for me, I would like to go."

Colonel Landa was a taken back by her sudden outburst, and tried to recover himself. He sat back in his chair, adjusted his shoulders a bit, and stared at her for a moment. After an excruciatingly long pause for Elizabeth he finally answered, "I see no other reason to keep you here. You are free to go." Relieved Elizabeth began to get up from her chair, trying to resist the urge to run. "But before you go, I must say one more thing." _Oh not again,_ she thought. "Just know that I will be watching you. Just because I may not believe anything is going on now, doesn't mean I don't think you may do something in the future. I have no real reason to believe what you say is true."

With one last glare he motioned with a tilt of his head for her to leave the room. She did so gladly, not looking back. But, he couldn't take his eyes off her as she left the room. There was something about her that he couldn't read; she was mysterious to him, which was strange. He was always able to read people with such an uncanny ability. To be honest, he liked it. Even her little outburst earlier had enthralled him. Suddenly, things were starting to look a lot less bleak.

Back at home, she was mess. She had managed to not breakdown the whole walk there, but as soon as she had shut the door closed behind her the tears started rolling down her face. She couldn't stop the emotions that were taking over her so she huddled in the corner and cried for a long time. After she was finished, she composed herself and walked into the kitchen to make a pot of tea on the stove. She was a bit off from crying for so long, but it had clear her head. Feeling more in control, she took a sip of tea and felt it warm her whole body, and she instantly felt better.

She sat down on her old, but comfy couch and finally, started putting the days events together. The most heart breaking part was learning that Hugo was captured and going to be executed. While, his fact of his upcoming death had hit her, the fact that he had murdered so many men had not. The newspaper sat only feet from her on the kitchen table, still unread. She was too afraid to go near it, let alone throw it in the trash where it belonged.

Then she thought about about what Colonel landa had accused her of and sighed. She knew being an American citizen would be an issue, but she would never in a million years think she would be accused of being an American spy. It was terrifying, and even worse she wasn't out of the water yet. Colonel Landa hadn't fully believed her and said he would be watching her. Now, she would never feel safe. It was like the devil himself had his eyes on her, she could almost feel it.

She didn't know what to do, she felt like crying some more, crawling into bed and never getting out again. But she knew that wasn't possible, and she wasn't ready to give up her life and dreams just yet. If anything, she wanted to use this horrible day as fuel for her to keeping going and try harder. She'd show Colonel Landa that he couldn't scare her that easy.

But, what really stuck out in her head was when she said that she didn't agree with what Hugo had done. The words came out of her mouth, and she thought if she said them out loud they would be true. But, the truth was that she did agree with it in a way. That thought had been like a black cloud on top of her head, making her question herself and her beliefs. If she had been in Hugo's shoes, would she have done the same thing? The question remained on her mind as she readied herself for work that night.

* * *

Authors Note:

Hey everyone, sorry it took so long for me to update. It's just been hard getting back into the swing of things after coming back from vacation. I was also hoping to find a beta reader before moving forward, but I really wanted to post a new chapter now so I went ahead and did. Also, a huge thank you to Leena for pointing out a big spelling mistake(that's what you get for being in a hurry and relying on spell check). I have gone back and fixed the issue in all the chapters. Another thank you for everyone who reviewed or sent a pm. It means a lot to me and I really appreciate it. And lastly, thanks to all the readers, I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am writing it.


	6. Chapter 6

Elizabeth loved Paris in the spring time. Even though it was still a little chilly outside, the flowers didn't seem to mind. The trees bloomed with bright, pink flowers that broke free in the wind and danced around like tiny little ballerinas. The sun shined a little longer, and a golden light was caste over the city as she walked to work that night. a few hours had passed since getting home from her eventful day and she felt like she was more emotionally stable. Not that it mattered; she needed the money and couldn't afford to lose a night of work.

The night club stuck out like a sore thumb on the tiny, side street. The bright, neon sign blinked and flashed, making the peacock on top of the sign reading The Peacock Lounge come to life on top of the building. The lights made the peacock dance and flash her eyelashes in a way meant to be sexy, but were just silly to Elizabeth. She walked down the alley way beside the building and went through the back door with the words 'private do not enter' written on it with faded, chipped white paint. The hallway led directly to the girl's dressing room, which was only blocked off by two sheer curtains draped over the doorway. Laughter and yelling could be heard coming from the room, the girls were always loud.

When Elizabeth walked into the room she was greeted by her best friend Annette, who also danced with her at the l'Opéra de Paris. Annette was small and blonde, and Elizabeth envied her golden hair. She looked like a cherub, because of her small stature and her face was rounded in a way that made her cute, not sexy. But men loved her, and she always had a bunch of fans that came to lounge just to see her dance. Annette called her over, and patted the dressing chair next to hers. "I have to warn you there is quite a crowd out there tonight; I think the soldiers are celebrating something."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, which meant that the men were probably going to be extra rowdy tonight. "Oh, well at least that means we will make a little extra cash hopefully. Especially, if they get too drunk." When groups of soldiers came in to celebrate something they usually went wild. It was the only time their superiors let them have a little fun without any consequences. She wondered what they were celebrating out there. Probably someone was becoming a father, which was usually the case.

She delicately put on her make up while gossiping with Annette. She talked about how Effi, another one of the dancers who was currently on stage, was on a rampage that night. Elizabeth wasn't surprised, Effi always seemed to be in a foul mood. She was complete bitch in Elizabeth's eyes, and she was always cruel to everyone else. But, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel sorry for her because she had to be very unhappy with her life to always be so mean. She knew that Effie had wanted to be a showgirl in a much bigger place than this, and that her dreams had fallen short. But, she was one of the most popular dancers, tall and slim she looked like Marlene Dietrich, so Elizabeth didn't think she had much to complain about.

When she was finished with her makeup, Elizabeth went to the clothes rack to see which costume she needed for the first number. It was the red one, it had a fitted corset bodice covered in sparkles with long red and white feathers attached to rear to make them appear like a tail. It also included black fish net stockings, red sparkling high heeled shoes, and a huge feathered hat that billowed upward to top it all off. She didn't mind the costume, except for the large hat because it was so heavy sometimes she was afraid that she would break her neck.

As soon as she was finished dressing, Effie glided into the room with a sneer on her face. "They loved me, they gave me a standing ovation," she applauded herself. She looked around the room smug. "Good luck trying to following that one ladies" said with a smile as she went to lounge at her dressing table. The other girls simply glared at her and resumed getting ready for the next dance.

Within minutes it was time for the show, Elizabeth and Annette shuffled in line behind the other girls and prepared for the curtain to go up. When it did all Elizabeth could see was a bright light and she followed the girls out into the nothing. It was always strange for her dancing on stage; because although she knew there was a crowd of people out there she could never see them. Blinded by the lights it felt like they were dancing alone in the spotlight.

After they were finished, she heard a large applause and felt satisfied with herself. She only had one dance tonight, but she was sure that a table would ask for her companionship. Since she was the only girl who spoke fluent German, many soldiers asked for her as company because they could converse with her and not so much with the other girls who mainly spoke french.

Backstage, she went back to her dressing table and waited to see if Pierre, the club owner, would come back and need her. While she was waiting she fixed her makeup and changed into a long, black velvet dress. It was tight fitting and had a slit along the side of her right leg. The less she left to the imagination, the more she was usually paid for sitting at the tables.

After a few minutes of talking to Annette, who still had a few more dances to run through, their other friend Jeanne ran into the dressing room. She was supposed to have already done a dance earlier, and Elizabeth and Annette had just assumed she was ill and not coming in that night. She did look ill, her usually tan skin was white as a ghost's and her onyx hair was disheveled.

"What happened?" Annette asked as she and Elizabeth rushed to her side.

She had difficulty answering because she was so out of breath. First, she had to find her chair and sit down. "I was…on my way to work…when I saw a group of people crowded around a street corner" she breathed out. "I was curious as to what was going on so I stopped and asked one of the men standing around what had happened. He looked at me and said one of those bastard Nazis had raped a girl while she was walking home. She was there beaten badly and everyone was waiting for police to arrive. No one was comforting her, just standing around, so I knelt down and held her hand until they came. They took her away in an ambulance, but as soon as they took off the police didn't ask any questions and just left. They bastard is going to get away with rape and no cares!"

Jeanne was clearly upset and close to crying, "I was so upset I ran all the way here." Elizabeth wondered why she had even bothered to come at all. She thought of all the Nazi soldiers out front and wondered how Jeanne was going to make it through the night here.

"You should go home and rest, being here is only going to upset you more" Elizabeth said as she tried to comfort her.

"No, I'm afraid to go back out there alone. I'm going to stay here until someone can walk with me, it's not safe to be out there alone."

"Fine," sighed Elizabeth. "I'll take you…" but before she was able to finish her sentence Pierre ran into the room.

"Elizabeth I need you out on the floor. A very important patron wants you to come and keep his table company." _Perfect timing, _she thought.

"I don't know," she began but Jeanne cut her off.

"It's okay, I'm fine really. I just need some time to sit down and relax. Go out there, I'm fine."

Elizabeth felt guilty, but she knew that Annette was there to help her and she really needed the money. "Alright, but if need me you know where to find me."

She then allowed Pierre to lead her down out to the floor and to the table that had requested her. It was large, there were at least 20 people sitting around, mostly drunk and laughing. There was an empty seat next to a man that sat in the middle of everyone. He was obviously the person they were celebrating, but he didn't look special to her, even looked out of place like he didn't think he belonged there.

Smiling, she introduced herself to the young man and the rest the table made cat calling and whistling sounds. He immediately blushed and asked her to sit down next to him. He was very good looking and he looked very young, probably not much older than her, 30 at the most. He had dark, brown hair and eyes. The part about him that stuck out the most was his smile. It was a cute, crooked smile and he used it when introducing himself.

"Hello, my name is Fredrick Zoller."

The name sounded familiar to Elizabeth, but she wasn't sure where she had heard it before. "It's very nice to meet you Herr Zoller. What are you gentlemen playing?" she asked as she watched the other men hand over their cards to a man to be shuffled.

"We're playing poker would you care to watch? And can I get you anything to drink?" He looked nervous, almost like a school boy when he asked, and Elizabeth couldn't help but smile.

"Actually I wouldn't mind playing myself, and yes I would like a martini please." Fredrick's eyebrows shot up surprised by her brashness. Women usually never played poker, especially with men in public. But he liked her strong attitude and asked Lutz to give her hand as well.

"So how are you enjoying your time in Paris Fräulein Himmel?"

"I like it here, it's very romantic. But I must admit that I miss the mountains. Also the city can get overwhelming sometimes, Paris moves much faster than home."

"I know what you mean, I miss home too. I grew up in small village. I miss being in place where everyone is familiar and nice. Everyone here is so rude, especially to us in the military, it makes me homesick sometimes. If it weren't for movies I would lose my mind."

"Oh, so you enjoy the cinema?" She asked excitedly, because it was also one her favorite things to do when she could afford it.

"Yes, I always have but it really comes in handy here. If I ever get home sick for Germany, just go see a German film. It's nice to hear my natïve language nonstop for a little while. And it takes me away from the war."

"I know what you mean. It's strange speaking a foreign language all the time. And this war is hard for everyone even the citizens." At this they both became silent for a while, and Elizabeth regretted that the subject of war had been brought up. She actually liked Fredrick, even though she disliked Nazi's and after the past few events she detested them even more. But, something about him seemed different to her. He looked and acted too innocent to be a Nazi solider. But, she knew better than anyone that these days, you had to be part of the Nazi agenda or not a part of anything at all.

The moment was interrupted when the game of poker began. Fredrick began to open up again and have fun, and so did she. She even won the game, surprising the whole group. After the first game was finished she finally got her drink, and within the next couple of hours was caught up with the rest of the group drinking wise.

Everyone was drunk and having fun, and for once Elizabeth didn't want the night to end. But it had reached one in the morning, which meant that it was time for the club to close for the night. Everyone at the table tipped her, excluding Fredrick who didn't have to pay for anything since he was the focus of the party, and she ended up making more money than she ever had before. It was over a 500, and she was so happy she couldn't believe it.

She started to walk back to the dressing room to get changed and go home, when she remembered Jeanne from earlier that evening. Quickly turning back round she walked up to Fredrick and asked him if he would mind walking her home since she didn't feel safe. He smiled his cute, crooked smile and said he'd love to. Relieved, she ran back, changed as fast as she could, and returned to the front and let Fredrick lead her out into the cold night air.

It was a beautiful night, not a cloud in the sky and some stars were even visible. Although, it was beautiful, it was bitterly cold and she couldn't help but shiver, even under her pea coat. Fredrick noticed and without saying a word, draped his military jacket over her shoulders. She smiled, "Thank you, you didn't have to do that, you must be freezing."

"No, I'm fine. I'm still warm from all the alcohol" he joked. She smiled back up at him. "You know Elizabeth when I saw you earlier on stage I couldn't keep my eyes off of you." She looked up at him in surprise of his confession, and he shyly looked toward the ground. "You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, and it turns out you're just as lovely on the inside. I had a lot of fun tonight, I hope you did too." He stopped and took her hands so that she was in front him, looking him directly in the face. "I have been trying to build up the courage all night to ask you out. And I was wondering if you would like to join me for a movie tomorrow night…if you're able to."

Now he was blushing and couldn't look at her. She placed her hand under his chin and nudged his face up so that he had to look at her. "Of course, I would love to go out with you tomorrow." His whole face lit up and he let out a loud 'Woo' for the whole block to hear. His excitement made Elizabeth laugh.

"Great, maybe we could go to dinner first. How does 5 o' clock sound? I'll come pick you up, where do you live?"

"Well, silly if you'll calm down, you'll remember that you are walking me there now." They both laughed and he nodded. Bravely he took her hand and held it the whole way there.


	7. Chapter 7

After she closed the door behind her, she let her happiness shine through and couldn't stop smiling. He was so adorable; she couldn't believe he had asked her out on a date. She also couldn't believe she was infatuated with a Nazi, what would the girls say? Then an even darker thought popped into head. What would Hugo say?

She remembered the last moment they spent together. He had been forced to join the army, not doing so would shame his family and he loved them too much for that. He looked so sad, that day at the train station wearing his uniform. She had met him there to say goodbye before he left. Heinrich didn't join, he knew that Hugo didn't agree with the Nazi party and no longer spoke with him. He thought Hugo was a fraud for joining the army. Elizabeth understood Hugo, but was devastated when she discovered he was going away. They hugged one last time, but before he went on the train he grabbed her, and kissed her roughly. Too shocked to fight back she let him, and while he did it he slipped something into her hand. He let go and looked at her one last time apologetically and then disappeared on the train. Shaking she looked down to see a piece of paper in her hand. She opened it and read it quickly. It simply read 'Do not let them get to you. You are better, smarter, and braver than them.' She knew he meant the Nazi's, maybe even Heinrich.

His words were now stuck in her head and she felt guilty. But, she knew Fredrick was different, just like Hugo had been. She would have obsessed over it more, if it hadn't been so late. She was too tired to care anymore and simply went to bed instead. She slept well for the first time in days.

The next morning she slept in late and made herself a pot of coffee. Then she went and lounged on her balcony in her pajamas. It had been so long since she had something to look forward to; she didn't even realize how stuck she had felt. She was happy for the first time in a while, that had to mean that she had made the right choice. The day drifted by lazily and she enjoyed every second of it reading a book, and taking a nice, long bath before it was time to get ready for their date.

When the time came for her to get ready, she made sure she took her time so that she would look extra nice. She curled her hair properly so that it fell in loose tendrils down to her shoulders. Then she spent half an hour doing her make up, and another half an hour just looking for the right dress. She decided to go for a more girl next door look with a flowery dress that was mid sleeve, tight on top, and the billowed out below the waist. She slipped on her white high heeled shoes and wait for Fredrick to arrive.

He was right on time and arrived dressed in his uniform, which looked freshly pressed. He held out a fresh bouquet of flowers from behind his back and gave them to Elizabeth. She loved them, they were the bright colors of the rainbow, just like the wildflowers that grew back home. She invited him inside while she quickly placed them in a vase with water. He walked around her living room, complimenting on her decor while she finished. When she was done he escorted her out of her apartment and into a waiting taxi.

She had never ridden in a taxi before; she couldn't afford it and was forced to walk around everywhere. It wasn't as nice as she expected, it was a little dirty and smelled funny. But, it was nice to escape the cold for bit, and it saved her feet from hurting in her shoes. They sat quiet for most of ride, but neither seemed to mind. It was comfortable, like they were old friends.

When the cab pulled up to the restaurant, Elizabeth couldn't believe her eyes. It was St. Marcus, one of the most prominent and expensive restaurants in town. Fredrick was beaming when he saw the look on her face. "I've never been," he said. "I heard it was good and thought we could try it." He seemed so calm and relaxed about the whole thing she assumed he must dine at places like this all the time. But she had never been to such a place; she could barely afford to eat a café.

He helped her out of the car and led her inside. Inside she felt slightly under-dressed as she looked at all the women in more formal evening wear. Fredrick didn't seem to notice, nor did he seem t notice the fact that the Maître d' was a bit rude. He attempted to walk them over to a table, but they were frequently stopped by others wanting a word with Fredrick. All the men appeared to be of high rank, but they saluted him when he passed, even though he was just a private. That was her first hint that maybe there was something more about Fredrick that she didn't know.

When they finally made it to their table and the maître d' had left them alone with their menus, he relaxed. He looked embarrassed and didn't say anything about the constant attention he had received. All though the attention made him embarrassed, she couldn't let it go until she found out why he was so important for a private.

"So what was that all about?" she asked as she took a sip of water.

He fidgeted and laughed a little. She waited while he searched for the right answer. "Well, I gained some attention in the military for the medal I recently received."

"Which medal is that?"

"It's the metal for bravery."

_Oh, _she thought, _so I'm on a date with a hero then. _"How did you receive it?"

Now he looked very uncomfortable but told her anyway. "I was stationed in Italy and I helped take a city. I was up in a birds nest and over the course of three days I managed to kill 250 enemy men, and they finally left the city on the fourth day." He hated talking about his accomplishments. truthfully, he usually didn't mind bragging a bit, but in front of Elizabeth he felt a bit silly. He let his words sink in and waited for Elizabeth's response.

It took her a few moments, but she finally spoke. "Well, that it quiet the accomplishment. When did this happen?" she pretended to be interested but truthfully she was disgusted. The thought of him killing all those men who were sons, husbands, and fathers made her sick to her stomach. She knew that's what happened during war, but it was hard to believe her had killed so many on his own.

"It took place about a year ago, after we were able to take control of the city, I was able to return to Berlin and accept my metal."

"And what have you been doing since then?" She was almost afraid to ask.

He gave a secretive smile and said, "Nothing really, just staying busy making the rounds with the higher ups of the party." He wanted to tell her about the movie that they had made about him and that he starred in, but he felt it was too early to talk about that. He hoped he would be able to invite her to the premiere that was in a couple weeks.

Over the course of dinner Elizabeth was able to put Fredrick's 'accomplishments' in the back of her mind and enjoy the evening. Dinner was magnificent, they had lobster and little steak filet. She tried to be as lady like as possible, but also eat as much of it as possible since she knew she would probably never get another chance like this again. They told each other stories of their homes, and they laughed through most of dinner, even annoying some of the other patrons in the otherwise quiet dining room.

When the dinner was over and they had eaten their piece of chocolate cake, Fredrick rushed her back into the waiting cab so that they wouldn't be late. And Elizabeth noticed that Fredrick didn't get a check for the extravagant meal, so he most of been more important than she even realized.

* * *

Hello everyone, sorry it took so long for an update! I promise it won't take so long for the next one. I hope you enjoyed it, and thanks for all the amazing, nice reviews, I really appreciate them!


	8. Chapter 8

When they arrived at the theater, a large line had already formed. But instead of having to wait, the doorman recognized Fredrick and they were let in immediately. The theater was large and bright, shining crystal and gold chandeliers hung from the ceiling. It was one of the nicest cinemas she had even set foot in. They were allowed to browse the movie posters inside to decide which film they wanted to see. Fredrick told her it was up to her to decide, that he would be happy to watch anything as long as he was able to sit by her side. The comment made her blush and she started down the row of posters. She was grazing over them when one caused her to stop in her tracks. At first she wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she was sure of what she saw. It was Fredrick on the poster, posing in a gallant way with a large gun in his hands. "Is this you?" she asked in shock.

He went over to where she was standing and sighed. He hadn't realized they had already begun placing his movie posters in cinemas yet. "Yes, that's me. I was a little embarrassed to mention it earlier. When I said I had been busy, what I meant is making a movie. Dr. Goebbels heard about my story and thought it would make a great film. I was surprised that he wanted me to star in it, it seemed a bit silly, but loving the cinema it was a dream come true so how could I turn it down?"

She stared up at him, not knowing what to say or think. No wonder everyone stopped to greet him, and he had such access to everything. The man was practically famous, and she had no idea. "Yes, I don't see how you could have, I just feel so silly for not knowing any of this before. I didn't realize I was dating a celebrity," She said the last part teasingly. Yes, she was a bit overwhelmed by all the new information, but she still liked him regardless. As a matter of fact, she should consider herself lucky; probably any girl would die for a chance to go out with this man.

He looked relived at her answer and guided her away from the poster to look at others; the 7 o' clock movie would begin soon. She picked a film noir called Black Cat, it was a few years old, but it was German and it starred a well-known German actress named Bridget von Hammersmark. Fredrick had mentioned that she may show up to his movie premiere here in Paris and asked her if she would like to go. Of course, she said yes and was excited to meet a movie star. She didn't know that half of the Nazi elite would be there, including Goebbels.

When Fredrick walked her to her door, after their date he was beaming. He was more confident around her and this time he didn't hesitate to ask her out another a date. This time he needed someone to accompany him to a ball held by some of his superiors. He promised it would be a lot of fun and that there would be dancing too. She happily agreed, not knowing what to expect, but knew if she went with Fredrick she would have fun.

* * *

The ball was the next weekend, but she didn't have any time to worry about it that week between dance practice and work. She had been showing up to practice on time every morning that week. It was like a fire had been lit inside of her that burned with desire and determination. Monsieur Herriot noticed that she was finally beginning to stand out among the others, and felt that it would be time to offer her a part soon. And at work she was having more fun, and enjoying herself. She didn't mind keeping the company of other men, but her thoughts were always of Fredrick. He even stopped by on Wednesday night to watch her dance again and then requested her at his table so that they could talk the rest of the night.

When Saturday night did arrive, Elizabeth didn't feel like she was prepared for it. She had never been to a ball before, and she was afraid of embarrassing Fredrick if she didn't dress appropriate. She hadn't thought about what type of dress would be needed and looking around her closet that morning it was evident that she would have to go shopping. She decided to bite the bullet and go to one of the most popular clothing shops in town, frequented by Nazi wives. It was called J. Broussards, and Elizabeth began to get clammy as she walked through the rotating glass doors, because she was certain she wouldn't be able to afford anything here. But, hopefully they had a good return policy and would be able to return the dress on Monday. Otherwise, she would be living on cheese and crackers for the next month.

The store was massive and there was no way she could navigate it on her own. She asked one of the men standing alert by the wall, where she would be able to find a gown for the ball tonight. His eyes nearly fell out of his head at the question. it was well known through out Paris that large ball was being held that night for the most prominent Nazi officials. Assuming that she must be someone of extreme importance to be attending such a ball he immediately rushed her upstairs and sat her down on a plush, pink settee. She was handed a glass of champagne, and she was told to wait while they found dresses to present her with. She didn't expect to be treated so well, and it was evident looking over the rail down to the first floor that not everyone was treated with the same respect. There were women browsing of the racks, not even gaining as much as a glance from one of the attendants.

About ten minutes later, the attendants presented her with a large rack of specially collected gowns. They were so beautiful she could barely contain herself. Satin in soft colored hues, bright colored sashes, billowing fabric was bursting out of the rack. She was excited to try them all on, wishing she didn't have to pick just one. Her excitement was slightly dimmed when she got a peek at one of the price tags. It was the amount of a rent check, not just a dress. But, she knew that these were not just any dresses, and if she wished to make a good impression tonight she would have to pay for it.

The first dress she tried on was a robin's egg blue, taffeta princess style gown. The fabric was shiny and Elizabeth liked it, but it seemed a little plain for the price. The second dress she tried on was a bubblegum pink color. Was satin and it had a piece of fabric that wrapped around her shoulders, the top was tight and cinched her waist. Then the bottom flowed outward with a mesh bow on the back. She thought it was beautiful, but maybe a bit much. She didn't want too many eyes on her tonight. The third dress she tried on was absolutely perfect. It was emerald green and brought out the green in her eyes and looked amazing against her porcelain skin. The top was a satin boned bodice which had a sweetheart neckline and the bottom was layers and layers of tulle, with an emerald lining beneath. The cherry on top was a dark green velvet back wrap that went over the dress. It was quarter sleeved, and wrapped around the back and clinched below her breast, she that the sweetheart neckline was still visible under the wrap. She knew it was the one and bought it was all the money she had left. It was difficult, but she knew it would be worth it that night.

She went home and immediately began to get ready for the ball, after shopping that afternoon she didn't have time to relax in the bath. She curled her hair in tight rolls and pinned them to the side of her head. She applied winged liner to her eyes, mascara, and then applied bright red lipstick to her lips. To top it all off she applied a small amount of rouge to her cheeks. She looked in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She looked beautiful and radiant for the first time in a while.

Now that she was finished getting ready, all she had to do was sit down and wait for Fredrick to pick her up. As she waited, the butterflies began to flutter in her stomach. She hadn't been nervous at all until this moment, when she actually had time to think about. She wondered what it would look like, and who would be there. She hadn't thought about it before, but now she wondered who of the Nazi elite would be there. Fredrick was a popular man and surely had acquired friends in some high places.

A knock at the door brought her out of her thoughts and she jumped up and picked up her clutch. Smoothing down her dress she opened the door and was greeted by a very handsomely dressed Fredrick, who was in a tuxedo.

"You look amazing," she said smiling. She had had never seen him out of uniform and it was a welcomed change.

He smiled back at her. "You look beautiful as well. Green is definably your color. I can't wait to show you off tonight."

He took her hand and led her downstairs to a waiting a car. This time they had a private town car, not a taxi. It was much nicer inside and the fancy surroundings upped her nervousness. When they arrived at the venue, she wasn't able to see much through the tinted windows and it wasn't until Fredrick came around and opened the door for her that she was able to see the elegance before her. The venue was a mansion, obviously someone's personal house, although she couldn't imagine who could afford such a large home. It was white with marble columns in front over the wide front porch. Large windows covered a majority of the house, lit up by candles. The yard was also lit up by many candles, and the walkway to the house was covered by a red, velvet carpet just like they had a movie premieres.

She suddenly felt out of place, and she wasn't even inside yet. Fredrick wrapped his arm around her and laughed as he walked her through the door way. "I know it's a lot, they like to go over the top whenever they have a party." _Over the top, _she thought. _This is a little bit more than over the top. _

The outside did nothing to prepare her for the inside. Inside, throngs of people were about in bright colored dress and black and white suits and tuxedos. It was loud, and impossible to hear anyone who wasn't directly in front of you. The whole room was made of marble, including two spiral staircases on either side of the room. Large crystal chandeliers cast a bright glow over everything. The room was draped in red bunting and even here there was no escape from swastikas and a portrait of Hitler looking down on everyone, watching. An archway on the right side of the room led to the dining area, where servants were already waiting in anticipation for the meal, which wasn't set to take place until an hour.

She didn't recognize anyone in the room and grasped on to Fredrick so she wouldn't lose him. It was all little bit overwhelming and she dreaded having to mingle with these strangers. They were intimidating and although they were all laughing, they seemed cold. Her disdain for Nazis was beginning to rise back to surface, and she was secretly wishing she had never agreed to come. Even though she was uncomfortable, she stood by Fredrick's side as he began to speak with the other men. She smiled and laughed it was necessary, but otherwise kept out of the conversation. It was mostly about work anyway. After walking around the room for a while, Fredrick noticed that Elizabeth didn't look very happy.

"I'm sorry; I know all this must be very boring to you. I promise it will get better. And wait until it's time for dinner, you won't believe your eyes when you see all the food."

"I'm fine," she said feeling guilty. It wasn't his fault that she felt uncomfortable and she didn't want to ruin his night. She decided to perk up and enjoy what she could of the night.

Fredrick wrapped his arms around her and said, "How about we grab a glass of champagne and head upstairs? We can watch everyone from there and have some time to ourselves."

"That sounds fantastic" she said as he handed her a glass of champagne and they headed up the stairs.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed, and for all of you Hans Landa fans out there he will finally make a reappearance in the next chapter :)


	9. Chapter 9

Hans Landa hated going to events, he would rather spend his free night by the fire, drinking a brandy, and relaxing than mingling with the men he saw on a daily basis. He got dressed slowly, in no hurry to make it to the event on time. Herman was already downstairs getting the car ready, trying to send the message to Hans that he needed to hurry. Hans looked in the mirror as he buttoned his jacket over his tuxedo. He was a very vain man, and enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror, now being no different. He admired at his reflection and noted how distinguished he looked. Although he did not have a date, he was sure he would no lack of female company tonight. Beautiful women were the only positive thing about going to these party's, and he usually came home with one, at least.

Herman opened the back door of the shining black staff car and waited for Colonel Landa to enter. Herman was his personal assistant and Landa worked him to the bone, but Herman didn't seem to mind. He actually enjoyed his job, he was able to work with an important man in the military without having put go out onto the front-lines. Herman was naive and gullible and he truly believed in the Third Reich, but he was also a coward and didn't want to put himself in any danger. And he had no regrets as he drove Hans around to parties like these, _'everyone has different parts to play_' he thought to himself.

They arrived at the party over an hour late and the party was already in full swing. Hans liked showing up late because that way he wouldn't have to suffer through too much small talk. But, he always arrived in time to have at least one drink before dinner, and tonight he was going to need all the alcohol he could get. He had a bad day at work earlier, discovering that the Basterds had captured and mostly murdered another group of soldiers. He felt like he was failing with his new assignment. He should have found these asshole Americans by now. The last thing he wanted to do tonight was go to a fucking party, but even though he was upset now he had a feeling that he would relax once he went in.

It was true, as soon he entered through the large front door he felt instantly better. One glass of champagne and he was even laughing with the other colonels. But, about a half an hour later he was beginning to get bored. He decided to leave the company of the other colonels and walk up stairs to people watch from above. As a detective, people watching were one of his favorite hobbies, and it was always extra entertaining when the Nazi Elite was involved.

He had been upstairs leaning against the railing with a glass of champagne in his hand for a few minutes when he spotted her. For once he was caught so off guard that he nearly let the glass slip form his hand. He took a moment to recompose himself and watched her walk around the room, an air of boredom followed her. It was the girl he had interrogated almost two weeks before. He had thought of her often since that meeting, but he didn't expect to see her in a place like this. It was a welcomed surprise and he decided to enjoy the coincidence to the fullest.

He watched her for a little bit longer to gain as much information as he could before making a move. It was almost as if he was a cat and she the mouse, and he was looking at her as his next prey. He took note that she was definitely with Fredrick Zoller the war hero, the he was actually set to do security for his movie premiere. He thought they made quite the odd couple, the war hero and the suspected American spy. True, he had already written her off as any type of threat, but it was still funny to think about. Fredrick looked happy, which he always did, he had a child-like personality which Hans found personally annoying. He thought it made Fredrick weak, even though he had gained some of his respect with his actions in Italy. But, either way Hans wanted the girl and he was not afraid to assert his dominance over Fredrick.

Pushing Fredrick out of the way would be easy, but getting her to accept him would be the difficult part. After their last encounter, Hans was sure that she was not very fond of him at moment. But, he would make sure that would change very soon. He was brought out of his deep thoughts by their movements down below. They were now walking towards the stairs and he knew that this was the time to make his move. He headed towards the stairs going down, while they made their way up, meeting in the middle of the stairwell.

"Fredrick Zoller!" called out Hans in feigned surprise. "How are you doing this evening? Good I hope, it is a party after all. And who is this lovely lady by your side?" he said smiling at Elizabeth as he took and her hand and kissing it gently.

Fredrick instantly stood taller at the sight of Hans and saluted him. "Colonel Landa, pleasure seeing you here. This is Elizabeth Himmel," Fredrick said proudly as she did everything in her power not to yank her hand from the Colonel.

"Ah, yes hello Elizabeth, nice to see you again." Elizabeth glared daggers, while Fredrick looked confused.

"Wait, you two have met before?" he asked.

"Yes," answered Hans. "Only briefly although I enjoyed every minute of it," He smirked.

Elizabeth knew that he was toying with her and she was not in the mood for it. But, she was also too terrified to say anything against him no matter how rude he was being to her.

"Well, since we all know each other, maybe it would be nice if we could all sit together at dinner. I'm sure something can be arranged," said Fredrick.

A look of terror crossed Elizabeth's face, while the Colonel looked rather pleased with himself. "Naturalich, it would be honor to be seated with a hero such as yourself," Hans said gallantly. _This is going to be easier than I thought_, he said to himself.

The host ordered everyone into the dining room for supper at that exact moment and slowly everyone began to file into the room. It was set beautifully, lit by only candle light the room glowed and the crystal china reflected the flames to create a warm and inmate mood. But, Elizabeth couldn't enjoy it knowing whom she was going to be sharing it with. And since Fredrick was such a celebrity among the Nazis now, he was given his own table with only those who his chose to be seated with him while everyone else was given assigned seating. So it was just the three of them at the table.

Fredrick and Hans began to small talk, while Elizabeth sat between them. Since they were talking about work she wasn't able to understand what they were talking about, and was left to her own thoughts. She couldn't believe the situation she was in. She had prepared herself to see some the people she hated, such a Joseph Goebbels but she never thought of seeing Colonel Landa here. And she especially didn't expect him to have the gull her speak to her after the way he treated her earlier. She thought it had to be some type of trick. He said he would be watching her. Had he been planning this meeting tonight? Had he known that she had been seeing Fredrick? She tried to look confident and comfortable in front of him, but she was sure that he could tell that she was scared.

Hans looked over at Elizabeth and smiled mischievously. He could tell by the look on her face that she was uncomfortable, but Fredrick didn't seem to notice at all. He seemed so oblivious to everything; it was another aspect that annoyed Landa about him. He wondered what Elizabeth saw in him, was it because he was a war hero? He doubted it. She didn't seem like the type of person who placed much importance into those matters. It was probably his boyish charms, he thought, which made him slightly annoyed at her as well. He had taken her for a person who was stubborn, blunt, and someone who stood up for herself and was strong. He would think that she would want someone who was strong as well, not naive like Fredrick. But, he had to admit to himself that he really didn't know much about her. And although he was usually able to pinpoint someone quickly, he wasn't able to do so with her. As much as it frustrated him, it also intrigued him as well. Tired of speaking about work with Fredrick he decided to change the subject and learn a little more about Elizabeth.

"So Elizabeth," he engaged her, bring her out of her deep thoughts. "What brings you to Paris? Not many women come here alone, especially with the war going on."

It took her moment to answer, he had surprised her by speaking to her directly, and also she was debating on how to answer. She was certain that he already knew everything about her. If he had dug deep enough in her past to discover Hugo than there couldn't be much more he didn't know. "I came here about a year ago to dance. It has always been my dream to be a ballerina in an accomplished company, but unfortunately my village didn't offer much promise in this respect. And Paris is famous for its dedication to the performing arts, so naturally when I was told that Germans were allowed to come to Paris after the occupation I jumped at the opportunity." She was afraid that she had said too much, but it was hard to tell how much information was too much with Colonel Landa.

"I see, that's very respectful that you followed your dreams like that. Did you end up finding a company here to dance in?"

She really didn't want to tell him where she danced, because that gave him an opportunity to find her more easily. But, she knew that it would look suspicious if she didn't give an answer, especially in front of Fredrick too. "I dance at the Ballet de l'Opéra de Paris. I'm currently just a student right now so I haven't had a chance to dance in a production yet." Hopefully that would keep him from tying to come to ballet looking for her.

"I'm sure that with passion such as yours that you're a beautiful dancer, and will be dancing in productions sooner than you know it."

She was surprised by his compliment and wasn't sure how to handle it. She simply replied with a "Thank you".

Fredrick looked over at Elizabeth curiously, "I didn't know that you studied there," he said with a twinge of hurt in his voice.

Hans was shocked at his confession. "You mean you didn't know that she danced? Isn't that a huge part of her life?" He posed the question loving the fact that they weren't as close as he had originally thought.

"Well I knew she danced, just not there," Fredrick answered trying to be as careful as possible.

"What do you mean?" Hans asked genuinely confused now.

Fredrick glanced over at Elizabeth hoping he wasn't embarrassing her. "Well…I knew that she danced at the Peacock Lounge, that's where I meant her."

Now Hans was really surprised, Elizabeth was a club dancer? How had this information slipped by him this whole time? "Now that is very interesting," Hans said with an excited smile. The thought of her dancing in skimpy clothing was almost too much for him to bear.

Elizabeth was quiet, but obviously embarrassed by the subject of her work being divulged to him. She wanted to slide down her chair and right under the table at that moment. But there was nowhere to hide from Hans's now beaming face.

Hans looked at Elizabeth, who was now blushing deeply, "Don't be embarrassed my dear," he told her. "There's no shame in being a show girl. Many dancers got their start from dancing in clubs."

He was genuinely trying to cheer her up, but it didn't seem to have any effect on her. Their salad course was served and it was eaten mainly in silence. The night was not going as planned for Hans and he needed to find a way to get it back on course. "So Fredrick," he began. "Are you excited about you big debut coming up?"

Now it was Fredrick's turn to turn red. "Yes, I'm excited, but also a little intimated. I'm not sure what to expect since Dr. Goebbels hasn't let me see it yet. Also, I'm not very good at boasting about myself. I'm not sure how I will handle all the attention."

"You seem to be handling it well now," mentioned Hans. "Plus you should never be afraid to be proud of yourself. What you did was an amazing feat, not many people could pull that off. All the attention you receive is well deserved. And it is an honor to be in a movie directed by Dr. Goebbels. He is very close to Fuhrer, perhaps you will even to get meet him."

The prospect of meet Hitler made Fredrick all the more intimated. He had never told anyone, but deep inside he felt like he didn't deserve any of the attention. Truthfully, he didn't like what he had done; he did it because it was his duty as soldier. But, the thought of all the people he had killed made him sick to his stomach, and the fact that he was profiting from it only made it worse. Outside he tried to appear as grateful as possible, because he didn't want to offend anyone of the party.

The rest of dinner pasted in a blur of delicious foods and small talk. Hans had initiated conversation, but Elizabeth still remained silent for the most part. She still hadn't warmed up to him, and he was beginning to get frustrated. He was not used to people shutting him off. Even if they had gotten off to a rocky start, it would be in her best interest to try to be friendly.

Dinner finally ended after what felt like forever to Elizabeth. After such an uncomfortable dinner, she was ready to release some energy by dancing. The ballroom was massive, and completely made of white and gray marble. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Fredrick and Elizabeth left Colonel Landa behind at the entrance of the room and immediately joined others onto the floor. Elizabeth was delighted to discover that Fredrick was a good dancer, but even his dancing couldn't completely lift the dark cloud left behind from dinner. She looked at Fredrick as they danced and she couldn't help but smile. He was sweet and easy to like, but she felt there was another side to him that he didn't let her see. And she wondered to herself and she could really fit into his life, into this whole scene.

The music had gained tempo and everyone picked up their pace to match the tune. She was enjoying the fast dancing when Colonel Landa reappeared behind Fredrick. He tapped Fredrick on the shoulder and asked, "May I please cut in?"

It didn't matter if Fredrick liked it or not, since Hans was so high ranking it would have been considered rude to say no. But, Fredrick thought nothing of it and said, "Of course, go right ahead" as he handed Elizabeth off to him.

Elizabeth was livid, she was mad at Fredrick for handing her off so easily and at Colonel Landa for even daring to ask.

"For once you appeared to be actually enjoying yourself tonight" he said while grabbing her hand and placing the other around her waist.

"I was…" she said not hiding the disappointment in her voice.

And he smiled is cunning smile at her, not letting his disappointment show. He had tried to be friendly, ask her about herself, and even putting up with private Zoller. But it was beginning to look like there was nothing he could do to please her. he liked a good chase, but his was becoming ridiculous. Then the song changed to jazz and everyone in the room roared and began to swing dance. Most of the older men in the room stopped and led their partners off the dance floor. Happy, she stopped dancing expecting Hans to do the same, but surprisingly he pulled her back and began to dance. She was shocked by how much of a good dancer he was. She hated to admit it, but it made him go up a notch in her book, not that it put him up that much higher.

After song was over he allowed he to go back to Fredrick, even though she still didn't look that happy, he had seen the surprise in her eyes when he began to dance to the jazz music. When Elizabeth reached Fredrick across the room she asked him if they could leave. She was tired and the night had worn her down both physically and emotionally.

On the way home in the car, Elizabeth did some tough thinking. She really liked Fredrick, there was no question of that, but it seemed like she would never be comfortable in his world. She felt guilty for feeling this way and she didn't want to hurt his feelings, but after the party she knew what she had to do. When he walked her to her door, he leaned in for a goodnight kiss, but she stopped him. He stood back up straight asked her what was wrong.

She had been planning on what to say on the car ride over, but she couldn't remember any of it so had to wing it. "I'm sorry Fredrick, It's not my intention to hurt you, but I have something I need to say." Shock registered on his face but she continued. "I really like you and I enjoy spending time with you, you're a wonderful person.

"But…" he said knowing what was coming next.

"I don't think I can see you anymore. It not you, I just don't feel like I fit into your world right now. I just don't feel comfortable around all those people, and I know it is part of your job to be around them. I'm just…sorry." She looked into his eyes trying to read his emotions, but he was completely neutral.

He had expected this, even though it hurt him to hear it. He knew his new 'celebrity' status would scare some of the girls away, he had just hoped that it wouldn't with her. He gave her a sad smile and said, "I understand, but I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't hurt. I really liked you and I trusted you, but you can't look past my job, it's a shame really. I thought you thought more of me than just some Nazi puppet."

_What? _She thought. She had expected him to take it hard, but he was being a little unfair.

"Fredrick, it's not that I just don't think we are in the same place right now."

"Humph… yeah okay I get it. It's the whole it's not you it's me thing. Well I think that's a cheap way to dump me!" he snapped back, his voice rising.

Why was he acting like this? She had tried to be as gentle as possible, but he was just being childish. Maybe he wasn't as innocent as he seemed.

"It doesn't matter anymore, I'm saying goodbye tonight and I wish you luck on everything." She unlocked the door and opened it, suddenly he grabbed her and whipped her around. He pinned her against the wall and placed a hard, desperate kiss on her lips. She tried to fight back and tell him to stop but he just fought her harder. Finally, she managed to pull away long enough to slap him hard on the face. His shock left her just enough time to slip through her door and slam it shut in his face. He cussed loudly and banged on her door, yelling "don't you know who I am?" loudly enough for the whole apartment building to hear. He didn't stay long though, and soon it was quiet outside her door.

She stood by the door until he left and then plopped on her couch. There were tears in her eyes and she didn't know what she was feeling anymore. His outburst had terrified her and she had half expected him to break down the door. He had showed his true colors finally, and she was glad she had ended it when she did. She composed herself long enough to run a hot bath. She slowly got in it, letting it wash off all the night's problems. And as she laid there she thought to herself _'I feel sorry for the next girl he sets his sights on_'.

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Sorry it took so long to update, this chapter is really long and took a while to write. I hope you all enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

Hans went home shortly after they departed. With her no longer around there was no reason for him to stick around either. Herman drove him home, and he looked drowsily out of the window, his mind full of the events of the night. He was excited that he saw her, but disappointed that she didn't show any feeling toward him…except distain. Their dance had given him a sliver of hope, but not much. Although it wasn't proving to be easy, he wanted her and he always got what he wanted.

The next morning was sharp contrast to the night before. He woke up to a call at 5 o'clock demanding that he show up at the office that instant. It was not the way he usually liked to be woken up and he was instantly in a bad mood. He had Herman rush him over to work, curious to find out what was so important that he needed to wake up so early.

His supervisor met him at the door and handed him a briefing. "This is a fucking nightmare!" His supervisor shouted for all of the building to hear.

"Calm down" pleaded Hans, for the many glasses of champagne he had last night were now giving him a terrible headache. "What exactly is happening?"

"I'll tell you what is happening, it's those damn Basterds again!"

Hans cringed at the name and silently cursed to himself. He hated being a failure at anything; it was that drive that got him to where he was today. But these Basterds were really giving him trouble and the whole assignment was like one big failure. He prepared himself to be berated for lack of finding the Basterds and entered the board room for the meeting. All of the other members were already there waiting on him and his supervisor.

"Where the hell have you been?" demanded General Major Heinz. He was a short man and his head was completely bald, but he was stout and his presence was very intimating, even for Colonel Landa.

"I was asleep, thank you," he said in a rather annoyed tone. Even though the General Major intimated him, it didn't mean that he wasn't afraid to push his buttons. He respected his higher ranking officer, but he felt that he was getting older and if Hans were to remain in the military, especially if they were to somehow win this war, it was his position the he was gunning for.

"This whole Basterds business is getting completely out of control! Do you know what happened last night while you were out partying Colonel?" asked Heinz while Hans and his supervisor sat themselves at the table.

Obliviously, he didn't know, but he could tell by the way that Heinz's vein in his forehead was sticking out that it wasn't good. Hans shook his head no and waited for Heinz to tell him.

"Last night there was a break in at the prison that is holding Hugo Stiglitz. He was supposed to be transported to Berlin today to being his trial. Hugo was the only prisoner since he is considered such a high risk, and there were over thirty highly armed guards there watching him. But, somehow a group of men were able to break in and kill every goddamn man in the place, except for one. Can you guess which man was able to survive Colonel Landa?"

"Herr Stiglitz".

"That is correct, now can you guess who the group of men was that helped Herr Stiglitz escape?"

"The Bastereds".

"Right again Colonel Landa, I guess that's what makes you such a great detective. But tell me, if you are such a great detective then why haven't we captured these assholes!" General Major Heinz screamed as he leaped across the table towards Hans.

Hans was taken back by the lunge and jumped back in his chair. This seemed to please Heinz and he sat back and calmly straightening his jacket as he continued speaking. "Hans I have no doubt that you are capable of finding this men and bringing them to justice. But we are running out of time. Hitler is hearing of these attacks on our men by this terrorist group and he is becoming increasing paranoid by them. When he hears news of this new event he is surely going to be more upset. It is in your best interest to find these men sooner than later. And since you are having trouble in this department we have decided to appoint you a partner to aid you in your search."

As if the berating wasn't bad enough, the last part hit him like a punch to the stomach. "Excuse me," replied Hans. "I don't think I need a partner. I promise that I will do my very best to get these bastards and I don't need the help." For the first time in this meeting fear crept into his mind. He wasn't afraid of much in his life. He could handle being yelled at, but what he was truly afraid of was being made to look inferior or even replaced. And he knew as soon as he heard it that receiving a partner was the first step to being replaced. First the man would be there just to help him, and then it would be to take over his job completely. It was true that he was unhappy with his job at the moment, but he wasn't ready to be dismissed so easily, not yet.

"It's too late Hans, someone has already been appointed for the position," said his supervisor gently. He liked Hans and he knew that this was going to be hard for him.

"His name is Lieutenant Heinrich Fuchs. He has only been in military for a few years, but he has risen quickly within that time. He is a brilliant young man and I am sure he will be able to help you greatly with your search. You two will be introduced tomorrow as he is on his was now by train from Berlin."

Hans knew he been beaten and that there was nothing he could do in this situation. He could fight, but it would only make his situation worse. He simply nodded his head, stood up and left the room in silence. He walked to his office, and told Herman who was seated at a desk in front of his office that he wished not to be disturbed under any circumstances and closed the door shut behind him. He hung his coat and hat on the rack beside his desk before he sat down. When he finally sat down, he turned his chair to face the window. It looked like a picture out of an old German fairytale, everything was completely covered in white, and heavy snow was still falling down. The only upside to this day was that he may be able to leave early on account of the weather.

He sighed deeply, and placed his head in his hands. He had never felt so tired before, so old. Maybe, he should start thinking about retiring soon after all. He had done more than what was considered his duty. But, if he didn't have this what else would he have? His work was his only purpose in life. Then his mind wandered to Elizabeth's face. He tried to shake the image out of his head, but he couldn't. So he continued to stare out of the window, pushing off the rest of the work that needed to be done for that day while wondering what Elizabeth was doing that day.

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Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, it means so much to me to hear from you :) And I'm glad that everyone is still enjoying it so far! Sorry this chapter was so short, I promise the next one will be a little longer.


	11. Chapter 11

Elizabeth woke up with her head pounding. She couldn't tell if it was from all the champagne she had drank, or all the crying she had done that night. Luckily it was a Sunday, and she had nowhere to go. She didn't feel like getting out of bed at all, but just lying in bed wasn't helping her. So she decided to get up, still in pajamas, and make herself a pot of tea. Hopefully, it would have a calming effect on her rough nerves.

While she was in the kitchen she started to make herself some breakfast. It was still relatively early, probably around 6 o' clock. Her mind couldn't get restful enough to stay asleep so she had simply rolled around most of the night. She made a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup, a favorite dish from America that still loved. And it was prefect for a day like today, cold and snowing. Snuggled up in blankets on the couch, she drank her tea and ate her soup while watching it snow.

It was beautiful and it helped relax her, and it brought her back to her home in Germany. She remembered building snowmen with her friends, which was actually how she had met Heinrich. She had been building a snowman when he came up to her and told her she was doing it wrong. He told her she need to roll the snow until it slowly became a ball to build the body, not to keep packing snow together. He had helped her complete it and they both laughed as they threw snow balls at it until was completely destroyed. That was how she liked to remember him, as a laughing boy. Not the man he had grown to be.

There was a soft noise coming from her door and she looked to see a newspaper trying to make its way through the bottom, which wasn't working. She laughed he went to open the door. A little boy stood on the other side looking embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late mam', with the snow coming down so hard out there it's hard to bike through it."

"It's alright, I'm not mad. Just be careful out there," she said as he handed her the paper.

She closed the door and opened the newspaper to the front page. There is bold letters was written 'Mass murder Hugo Stiglitz killed in prison break, no one left alive'. She collapsed on the floor, grasping the paper. What? She couldn't believe it, how could this have happened? Who did it? She tried to read the rest of the article, but couldn't see through the tears in her eyes. She simply laid on the floor for a long time trying to comprehend it, but she couldn't. She refused to believe it was true. After all that had happened in the last few weeks she couldn't bear to hear this.

_No, _she thought. _It's not true, I just know it. _She knew she wasn't thinking straight, but something in her heart told he wasn't dead. Plus, it didn't make any sense. She knew a lot of people hated him for his crimes, but those people would rather see him publicly tried and executed. Who would take such risks just to kill him?

In her somewhat delusional state, an idea popped into her head. She had to go see Colonel Landa, he would know the truth. he was one who had mentioned his name to her in the first place. She would go and demand that he tell her the truth, she deserved that much. Quickly, she got dressed and walked outside. It was miserable, it was freezing and she could barely see a foot in front of her. No one was out on the streets, and it was eerily quiet. But she pushed on, determined to see Colonel Landa and to hear him tell her that Hugo was alive and that it was all lies.

By the time she had made it to the embassy, she couldn't feel anything. The snow had built up on the sidewalks to about half to her knees. She didn't know how she was going to get back home, but that didn't matter to her. She was here now and she was going to get some answers. Just like the streets outside it was completely empty inside the building. She suddenly became afraid that since it was Sunday, that it was closed, a thought that she hadn't considered before. Relief washed over her when she saw that there was a man behind the window at the front.

He looked at her with a strange expression and she was sure that she must have looked like a wreck. "How may I help madam?" he asked.

"I'm here to see Colonel Landa."

The man's eyebrows shot up and he looked surprised. "Do you have an appointment with him?"

"No," she confessed.

He looked at her through tired eyes, and debated telling her to leave. But there was something about her that made him do otherwise. He disappeared behind the desk to call his secretary.

"Colonel Landa," called Herman softly from Hans's door.

"What now?" called Hans back grumpily. He was buried deep in his work, and he did not want to be interrupted.

"There's a young women to see you. Her name is Elizabeth Himmel."

Hans whipped his head up in surprise; he wondered what would bring her here. Although he didn't want to bothered, for her he was willing to see what she wanted. He was excited that she had come, but also curious as to what would bring her in such bad weather. He looked outside his window and wasn't able to see a thing, it was a complete whiteout. Whatever it was, he had a feeling that it wasn't good.

"Let her in, Herman" he said as calmly as possible.

The man at the front desk returned, "He will see you now" he said.

Elizabeth was relived, she was beginning to worry that she had trekked through the snow and wind for nothing. She thanked the man and walked towards the stairs. As soon as she started to walk up the stairwell, towards his office, she stopped. Her mind suddenly went blank. What was she supposed to say him? Her mind was a boggle of thoughts and emotions, and through all that mess she had never thought of what she would actually say once she was in front of him. Now she was afraid, she wanted to run away, but he already knew she was here, so there was no way to run away from this.

She shook her head and continued up the stairs. She would just have to let the words come to her when she got there. When she finally came to the front of his door she was shaking, and it wasn't from the cold. Herman recognized her, and gave her a smile. He knocked on the door for her and announced her presence. Then he opened the door and ushered her in. She wished she could have his calming presence in the room with her, but he walked out the room closing the door behind him. Now it was just her and the Colonel.

He sat at his desk with his usual smirk, and she felt incredibly stupid for coming. Hans stood up and approached her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked as he came over and helped her out of her coat.

She allowed him to do so but still couldn't think of what to say to him. He looked down at her the way a disapproving father would. "What were you doing going out in this kind of weather? You could have seriously hurt yourself, it's dangerous out there." His eyes darted up and down her body. "You need something to warm you up, would you like a glass of whiskey?" he asked as he was already pouring one for her.

She simply nodded in response and sat down on a chair in front of his desk. She hadn't realized how numb she felt until she took a sip and it burned her throat. She coughed in pain and Hans chuckled.

"There now you should start to feel better. So now tell me what are you doing here?"

She looked around the room thinking of answer when her eyes landed on his hat hanging on the coat rack. It was embellished with an evil looking skull and crossbones. Just looking at it filled her heart with hate and anger, and it reminded her why she was here. She looked Hans straight in the face and in a level voice said, "I saw the paper this morning, have you?"

"No," he responded. "I have been working all day; I didn't have time to look it over." He truly hadn't seen the paper and had no idea at what she was trying to get at.

"I know what happened, I saw what happened to Hugo and I know it's a lie!" She practically screamed at the commanding officer.

"What are you talking about?" he asked defensively, while his mind reeled at the thought of the papers already hearing about the break in. There was no way they would be allowed to print what happened.

"They say he was killed last night, but I know better. I know that you know the truth so tell me what happened!"

He looked blankly at her, not sure what to say. He was trying to take in all the information first. She said the papers said Hugo had been killed, which relieved him a little bit. But she said she knew better, did she really know what actually happened? He decided to test the waters slowly.

"And what, my dear, do you think happened exactly?"

She looked at him and tried to say something but nothing came out. He raised his eyebrows at her, and his look told her that he knew she didn't have an answer.

"Look, I understand this must be hard for you. Losing a friend always is, and I assume from your reaction to his death that you still must have close after all, unlike what you told me the other day. But you and I both know that nothing else happened. I'm sorry Elizabeth, but Hugo was killed in a terrorist attack this morning. It's not a surprise; he wasn't a much liked man."

She was devastated by his words, and it was like a mental wall came down. She broke in tears and couldn't stop herself. She broke down and finally let the reality of Hugo's death sink in. Hans felt bad watching the woman cry, especially since he knew that she had been right, he wasn't dead as far as anyone knew.

He got and grabbed his jacket and hat. "Let's get you home okay?" he said softly.

She was obliviously to everything now, and let Hans take care of her. He slipped her coat on and walked out of the office. He looked over at Herman and motioned with his head for him to get up. "I need you drive us to her apartment. Place all my meeting on hold and meet us down stairs." Herman was taken aback by Elizabeth's sobbing and immediately did as he was told. He wondered what Hans had done to make her so upset, but he didn't dare ask.

Outside the weather had gotten worse and Hans wondered how Herman was going to able to drive through it. Luckily Elizabeth didn't live far away, which would make it easier. Although the roads were covered in about a foot of snow, Herman was an excellent driver and was able to plow through it, but he had to do so very slowly. What would have taken about five minutes took them about twenty. And poor Elizabeth cried the whole time. Hans wanted to comfort her in some way but didn't know how, comforting wasn't exactly his strong suit. So, he simply put his arm around her and held her until they drove up to her apartment building.

He wrapped her up tightly against him and then walked her as quickly as possible across the sidewalk, through the snow and into the building. Once they were inside he brushed the snow off both of them and like a gentleman walked her to her door. She had stopped cry by this point, but she looked exhausted.

"Try to get some rest bitte," he pleaded with her.

She looked at him and nodded solemnly and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you for taking me home," she said quietly. She really did appreciate him taking care of her, even though she didn't know how to feel about it. All she did know was that she was embarrassed about her behavior and wanted to go inside and be alone for a while. She unlocked the door and gave Hans another nod in thanks closed the door shut. Hans, now in a horrible mood went downstairs and asked Herman to take them home; he definitely didn't feel like going back to work.

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Finally a softer side of Hans, which Elizabeth seems to be warming up to. Hope y'all enjoyed the new chapter, and I know this chapter may have seemed like there wasn't a lot going on but I promise the next one will have a bit more happening. And thanks again to everyone who reviewed :)


	12. Chapter 12

The excitement of the day mixed with being woken up so early that morning contributed to Hans being exhausted by the time they made it home. Without a word he went upstairs to his library and made himself a scotch. He sat down in a large, plush leather chair next to the fireplace and put this head in his hands. He felt overwhelmed, not an emotion he was used use to, and he didn't like it. He laid his head back, and took a sip his scotch. He was determined to relax, and as he slowly sipped more of his drink he felt the tension leave his body. He mind flooded with thoughts of Elizabeth. He wanted her so badly, all of her. He was beginning to have more intimate thoughts about her when the telephone rang. He cursed whoever was on the other line and jumped up to get it. It was his supervisor, "Hans, I have some big news for you, I'm putting you on duty for the Stolz der Nation premiere next week."

"Really? And why would they need someone like me there? It's just a little movie premiere." Hans was curious as to why such high security would be needed.

"It's not just a small premiere anymore; we just received word that the Fuhrer wishes to attend it now."

"The F0uhrer!" Hans was surprised. "I suppose that would change things. I'm surprised that he would want to come all the way to Paris just to attend a premiere."

"His moral with the people has been waning lately, and people are beginning to become discouraged about the war. He thinks showing support for a war hero will help win over some support with the German citizens. Plus, will the sour mood in Berlin right now I think he is also looking to get away for a little bit."

"I understand," sighed Hans into the phone. With everything else going with the Basterds and Hugo the last thing he wanted to do was provide security for Fredrick's stupid movie premiere. But, as always he had no choice in the matter. And it wouldn't hurt to spend some time with Hitler, the closer their relationship the better. "I'll be happy to provide security for Hitler and his friends."

"Wonderful! Thank you so much for your service, I can always count on you Hans," and with that his supervisor hung up the phone.

Hans went back over to the bar and poured himself another drink. He contemplated on just picking up the bottle and drinking the whole thing instead, but decided against it. He didn't want to become an alcoholic like his father. Men who needed alcohol to solve their problems were failures in his eyes. He placed his still full glass of scotch down and locked himself in his bedroom. He didn't want to be bothered as he plopped down on his bed, still fully clothed. He turned his head to look out his bedroom window; it was covered in so much frost he couldn't even see the lights outside. Not bothering to take off his clothes, he pulled the blankets around him and fell asleep.

The next morning he wasn't woken before his alarm, but it was still difficult to wake up. He felt disgusting from sleeping in his old clothes all night, and the first thing he did was draw a bath. The warm water felt good, and it relaxed his sore muscles. He couldn't remember his dreams, but he knew they must have been good, because he felt somewhat happy in the morning for once. He took his time in the bath, not looking forward to the day ahead. He dreaded meeting his new partner, and even with the help he would be receiving there was still a ton of work to do.

When he was finally finished getting ready, he walked down stairs to eat his breakfast. Hans had a small staff of servants so when he walked into the kitchen there was already of plate of food waiting for him. It was still warm when he sat down, and he practically devoured it. He hadn't realized he had forgotten to eat both lunch and dinner yesterday. After breakfast he made himself a small cup of coffee and drank it while looking outside his window. It had stopped snowing overnight, but the snow hadn't had a chance to melt yet, and it looked like a winter wonderland outside. Herman came into the kitchen and let him know it was almost time to leave. Hans grabbed his jacket and hat and followed Herman outside into the cold.

When he arrived he was met at the door and told that there was a shooting a bar the night before and they wanted him and crew to go check it out. It was important that he leave immediately because they believed one of the bodies belonged to Hugo Stgilitz. Intrigued, Hans agreed and left with a few other officers to check it out. This meant putting off meeting his partner as well, which made the morning all the better. The bar it's self-turned out be underground, and he wondered whose dumb idea it had been to fight underground. Sure enough Hans recognized Hugo in a Lieutenants uniform, and he was ecstatic inside. This proved that the Basterds had been involved and now he could better track their movements. Satisfied, he was about to leave when something odd caught his eye. He bent down to pick up a white handkerchief. He flipped it over and 'bingo' a huge break. On the handkerchief was Brigit von Hammersmark's autograph, but no other sign of her. She must be a spy working with them he reasoned. It turned out to be a very enlightening day and he was rather proud of himself. But, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt looking at Hugo's body. It's not that he cared about him, but he knew a woman who would.

The next day proved to hold even more helpful information. Even though they had brought a bunch of attention to themselves two nights before with the shoot out, two of the Basterds had been spotted walking around town, dressed in Nazi uniform. He knew they did this from to time to get supplies and food. But, he was surprised they would do so soon after the shootout. A man Hans had working for him recognized them as Wilhelm Wicki and another man identified as Utivich walking around downtown. Now he knew they were even closer than that small French town and he had an even better chance at finding and capturing these assholes that had caused him so many problems. Basking in their stupidity he actually felt like maybe it was going to be another good day.

Then he answered a call from his supervisor, Heinrich had finally arrived and it was time for the two to meet and begin working together. Frustrated that he would have to work with another officer, he angrily got up, and went to the meeting room down the hall. When he opened the door there was a young man sitting down directly across from him. He was so young he had to be in his mid-20s, far to young to be a lieutenant. The young man shot up out of his chair as soon as he saw Hans walk into the room. _At least he knows his place_, thought Hans, _that's a good start_.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you sir, I'm Lieutenant Heinrich Fuchs," said he young man enthusiastically while holding his hand out to Hans. He admired the Colonel and wanted to make a good impression.

Hans simply nodded and smiled back at him, ignoring Heinrich's outstretched hand and sitting down. Heinrich's smile fell and so did his hand as he sat back down. Hans's supervisor was the one to break the silence first. "Well boys I'm sure that you will get along just fine. Hans, this boy here is a genius, if he had stayed in combat he would have been another Fredrick Zoller," he said smiling and patting Heinrich on back. "But his talent lies where yours does and I'm sure you will find him very helpful in the search for those damn Americans."

Before Hans could even begin to form a word Heinrich busted out, "Yes sir! I will do everything in my power to find those fucking Basterds and make sure every single one of them pays for their crimes!"

Hans couldn't help but burst out laughing at the man. Heinrich who before had looked very confident and zealous during his speech, had now turned a deep red.

"I'm sorry," apologized Hans while still laughing. "I don't mean to be rude; I'm simply not used to such passionate behavior. Please forgive me."

Heinrich was still embarrassed, but accepted the Colonel's apology.

"Fantastic," said Hans's supervisor. "Now you two please go and get some work done, I would like to have all this Basterd business behind us by the time of the Stolz der Nation premiere. I would like to enjoy myself while I'm there."

"Of course," responded Hans as he stood up and sarcastically saluted his supervisor. He walked out of the room making Fredrick follow behind him back to his office. Once inside Hans slapped a bunch of papers at him. "I want you to look over these as many times as it takes for you to memorize them. I want you to know everything thing there is about these men down to what size shoe they wear. Do you understand?," asked Hans condescendingly.

"Of course Sir," Heinrich left the room and headed for his office, which compared to Hans's was more of broom closet. He was livid; he knew that Hans had just given him a bunch of bullshit work. He already knew everything there was about the Basterds, he had read all the files he could find on the train ride over here. He had been looking forward to working with Colonel Landa so much; he was the one who he had looked up to as a rising officer. But, now his fantasies about Hans were smashed and he was beginning to regret even coming over.

Heinrich had joined the military in 1941, a little less than a year after his friend Hugo had joined. He had wanted to join from the day that the war started, but his family was poor and they needed him home to help with sheep herding. When Hugo had joined, it pissed him off. He knew that he didn't care about the Third Reich like he did. Heinrich had believed in Hitler and his love for Germany from the very beginning. Hugo hated him, and the whole Reich. He was a fake and a shame to his country. Heinrich couldn't even look at his oldest friend anymore before he left.

It wasn't until his father died, that Heinrich was finally able to join. After his father's death, Heinrich's mother and sister left the small farmhouse and the herd and went to live with his grandmother in a neighboring town, while he and his younger brother were left behind. The only thing left in his hometown now that he really cared about was Elizabeth. He loved her; he had always had since they were little kids. But, like Hugo, he began to see that her loyalty to the Reich was doubtful.

They had been having relationship trouble before his father died, mainly because he believed that Elizabeth had feelings for their friend Hugo, and he was incredibly jealous. He asked her hand in marriage to prove that she truly loved him not Hugo and she said yes. Once Hugo left for the army, things seemed to get better. She even moved to the farm to help out when his father's health began to decline. But, after his father's death it had gotten worse, it seemed like Elizabeth didn't care about him when he needed her most, and that she was always looking for a way to get under his skin. He found himself having to put her in her place more often than not. He didn't enjoy having to do that, but he felt that it was necessary and she needed to learn that he was a man who demanded respect.

She never did learn, and one night he heard odd noises coming from his window. He looked out onto the farm, but wasn't able to see anything because it was pitch-black outside. Slowly his eyes adjusted, and he continued to watch for any movement. He was about to go back to bed, after a few moments of silence, but then he heard the sound of soft steps below. He looked below and two shadows were making their way towards his truck. He knew it had to be his brother and Elizabeth. Immediately, he turned around and grabbed his trench coat and hat and ran out after them. He hopped into the only other car, one that sometimes wouldn't start up. Luckily, it turned over on the first try and he follow behind them, careful not to be seen. He followed them all the way to train station, where he saw his brother lead her to the platform. The train was already there waiting, and it's whistle blew warning passengers that it was last call to board. He ran as fast as he could to catch them, but Elizabeth boarded the train before he reach her. He grabbed his brother and demanded to know what was going on.

"I'm helping her get away from you," he said coldly.

Heinrich threw him aside, and ran down the train looking for her. He finally saw her through one of the windows, about to sit down. He banged on the glass, a look of fury contorting his face. Elizabeth jumped back and stood frozen in place by fear. He knew it was too late to get on train, but he left her with a warning. "I'm going to find you, you little bitch. I'm going to find you, and I'm going to kill you!" The train began to depart before he could yell anything else, and she watched as he slowly disappeared behind her. The fear of him finding her never left her though.

After she left him, he left the farm and his traitor brother to followed his dream to become a soldier for his county and he never regretted it. He loved being in the military and it showed as he quickly grew through the ranks much faster than his other comrades. And, it also quickly became obvious that his special skill set was not in combat but behind the scenes. He had the ability to get what needed to be done finished; with no questions asked. So, naturally he was place in a position to help find a terrorist group.

While Heinrich was rather proud of himself, Hans was not so convinced. He didn't trust someone so young and inexperienced. The boy just had an air about him that made Hans instantly dislike him. Since Hans didn't completely trust him he did what any good detective would do, he researched his background. He went into the room that was full of filing cabinets and pulled out Heinrich's personal file. That night, at home he went into his library, propped his feet up on his desk, and flipped through the papers. Everything appeared in order; he was given ranks from all of his higher ranking officers and had served his time both in Germany and in some in France. He was about to put the file down, disappointed that he hadn't found anything, when he noticed a red flash while flipping through the last pages. He flipped back a few pages and saw that some marks had been made in red ink, never a good sign. Hans read what it said, 'Fuchs placed under special surveillance and set up for an interrogation on April 25 1944.' That was only a two weeks ago Hans noted to himself. Why would they have someone under surveillance come here to do confidential work? It didn't make any sense, so he continued reading. 'Fuchs was interrogated about relationship with enemy of the state HUGO STIGLITZ and found to have no significant communication with the suspect, Fuchs is taken off surveillance and it will be stricken off his records'.

Hans sat in stunned silence for a while to comprehend what he had read. Hans flipped to the first page of the file and it was just as he thought, he was born in the same hometown as Hugo…and Elizabeth. If he had known Hugo, it stood to reason that Heinrich also had a connection with her as well. He couldn't quite place it, but something about all this didn't sit well with him. He didn't want to admit it, but it almost made him jealous that he might have known Elizabeth. He got up and made himself a glass a scotch, which was now becoming more a habit than he liked, and paced around the room for a little bit. He wanted to know more about his partner, and if his file was any indication, Hans was sure there was more interesting things about his past that he should know about. He decided he would take Heinrich out for a boy's night out tomorrow, put a few drinks in him, get him relaxed and see what the idiot says. Content with his plan, he downed his drink and readied himself for bed. When he climbed into bed that night, he couldn't help but notice how empty it was. He really needed to stop obsessing over Elizabeth, he thought, it was beginning to kill his once busy sex life.

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Wow, a lot of stuff going on in this chapter, hopefully it wasn't too busy. I hope you enjoyed it and a BIG thanks to everyone who reviewed :)


	13. Chapter 13

The next day Hans pulled Heinrich off to the side and asked if he would like to blow off some steam and to go to a club to have some drinks with him that night. Heinrich was relieved that Hans asked him, he was afraid from the way he had acted yesterday that he didn't like him. He was excited by the thought of getting to have some fun with Colonel Landa, who was practically his hero. Hans was satisfied with the boy's reaction and couldn't wait to see what the night would bring.

The day passed by slowly, he and Heinrich worked together in his office plotting points on a map where the Basterds might be hiding. They drew dots and lines interconnecting the areas were the Basterds had attack Nazi regiments. It appeared that they were inching closer to the city, which Hans assumed meant that they were planning on attacking the city soon. He had noticed from the note the other day that they were close, enough to even brave going through town from time to time. In a way this was good, the closer they were the more a chance he had of going out and finding them. But, if he wasn't able to find them, it could mean them attempting a terrorist attack on the city, which would destroy his career.

Hans laid back in his chair in deep thought. If they were going to carry out an attack, why had they just been sitting right outside the city for weeks? Why hadn't they done anything yet? It meant that they had to be waiting for something. If they wanted to simply kill off Nazi regiments they could do that anywhere, with a less chance of getting caught. So, what were they waiting for?

"Heinrich," Hans said breaking the silence they had been working in for hours.

"Yes sir?" he replied.

"Go and find a list compiled of all major events for this month."

Heinrich looked confused but went off to do what he asked. While he was away Hans got up and plastered the map they had just made on the wall and studied it for a bit. They were coming around to the west city of the city, so he knew that when he saw the list, he should look at venues on this side of the city. It was strange though, there were no government buildings on that side, so just what exactly were they thinking?

It was 6 o' clock, and usually around this time Hans would be getting ready to go home, but today he and Heinrich still had some work to do. Heinrich had been gone compiling his list for a long time, and Hans was curious as to what was taking him so long. After a while, he decided to go look for him. He looked into his office and he wasn't there. He searched around until finally he spotted someone in the file room. It was definitely Heinrich, but these were the classified files, and he was not allowed in there. Hans could tell by the way he was hurriedly searching through a box that he was looking for something in particular. "Can I help you with something?" Hans asked, startling him.

"I was...I was just looking for..." he stumbled and Hans cut him off.

"The files for events is in the room down the hall."

Heinrich nodded, "Of course Sir," and ran off as quickly as he could.

Once he had left the room Hans looked at the files he had been searching though. They were the files kept on citizens that had been interrogated for anti-Nazi sentiments. He didn't understand Heinrich's interest in the papers until a name on one jumped out at him, Elizabeth Himmel. "Damn," he said out loud. _W__hat in the hell is he doing?_ He had known that the boy couldn't be trusted, but now he needed to know what he wanted with Elizabeth. And he really didn't need the added stress on top of finding the Basterds. He would keep an extra eye on him from now on, and getting Heinrich to talk tonight seemed all the more important.

Finally, Heinrich returned with the list of upcoming events and they stayed in his office still going over things. Hans hadn't looked at the list yet; he planned to take it home with him so he could look it over by himself first. That way if he did find anything, it would be his accomplishment and not Heinrich's. Around eight they finally finished their work and left for the night. Herman was waiting in Hans's town car to take them out.

"So tonight is my treat, where would you like go?" asked Hans with a big smile. Even though this was more of a rouse to find out more about Heinrich, he was still excited to get out and unwind after the long and tedious day at work.

"Well, some friends were telling me about a place called the Peacock Lounge. It supposed to be good and have a lot of pretty girls too. Have you ever heard of it?"

"No, but if there are drinks and pretty girls I'm in. Herman takes us to the Peacock lounge please," Hans laughed and Herman drove off.

They arrived at the lounge a little after nine, and the lounge was already packed and the line to get in, full of young soldiers, wrapped around the block. But it wasn't an issue for them; as soon as the doorman saw Hans he instantly let them through the door. When they were inside, a scantily dressed woman led them to a table directly in front of the stage. They were even given a complementary bottle of scotch on house. Even though Hans had never been to this club before, he was so well known and high ranking that he was treated like royality. He loved it, and Heinrich was in awe of it all.

"Maybe I should take you everywhere I go," teased Heinrich while he poured himself a glass of scotch.

Hans laughed and poured himself a glass as well, "I can't say I hate the perks that come with job."

The lights dimmed and a spotlight appeared in the middle of the stage in front of them. Then a beautiful blonde girl emerged from the dark and into the spotlight. The men in the room started to cat call and whistle, but she acted like she didn't hear it. She was in full costume and she held large black and red feathered fans, and when the music started she began to dance and slowly strip off her clothes. Then the men hollered even louder, and Heinrich joined in while Hans just sat back and smirked. He wasn't one to holler or cat call in the first place, but as a Colonel he couldn't be seen engaging in such acts in public anyway.

The show ended with the girl stripping her bra off, but she remained hidden behind her fans so that she still didn't reveal her naked body. Heinrich looked disappointed and downed another glass of scotch. After only two glasses his eyes took on a glazed look, and Hans was surprised in his lack of alcohol tolerance. Getting him to talk might be easier than he had originally thought.

"So," began Hans. "It's hard to believe someone so young is a Lieutenant, how did you manage to climb the ladder so quickly?"

Heinrich poured another drink. "Come on Colonel, you've only had one drink so far, let loose a little have another," he said as he clumsily poured Hans a glass.

Hans ignored the glass placed in front of him and waited for the lieutenant to answer. Heinrich downed another glass before answering, "Well, I'm just good at what I do. It's as simple as that."

Hans was angry with his cocky answer and regretted ever bringing him here. The whole idea was stupid, he should have known getting him drunk wouldn't produce any answers. Now angry, Hans took a sip from his glass and debated leaving. While he was contemplating whether to leave when the lights once again dimmed. Girls paraded on stage, but it was still dark and no one could them yet. When the stage lights came on Hans jumped a little in his seat. Standing right in front of him was Elizabeth in a corset costume that showed off both her breasts and her legs.

He was so enthralled by her body, that he hadn't seen the look on Heinrich's face yet. The music began, and the women danced in a fluid motion, surrounding Elizabeth as she did a solo dance. Has wondered if she too was going to take off her clothes, but it became clear that dancing was supposed to be her main purpose. She was amazing; even though she remained clothed he couldn't take his eyes off her.

The music picked up pace and she began to dance the final number to finish off the set. She was sashaying across the stage when she finally saw him. Her eyes landed on Hans's table but it wasn't Hans that she saw. She was so shocked that she stumbled, unable to catch herself, and flew off the stage. She landed directly on a Nazi officer's lap sprawled upside down and the crowd went wild thinking it was part of the show. She was frozen, trying to compose herself, but she could take her eyes off the man in front of her. She had landed at the table right next theirs and there was no way to pretend she hadn't seen him. She quickly got up, smiled at the officer, waved, and blew kisses at the crowd as she disappeared behind the stage.

Hans was grinning ear to ear thing it was him who Elizabeth had locked eyes with until Heinrich spoke up. "My god, I can't believe it!" he said in disbelief.

"I know she is quite a woman," replied Hans with a little smirk.

Heinrich twisted to face Hans and he noticed the look on his face for the first time. "I know," said Heinrich. "She used to be my girlfriend from back home."

Hans face went instantly hard, as he took in that fact. Seeing Elizabeth had temporarily stupefied Hans, and slowly the memory of seeing Heinrich shuffle through her classified papers earlier came flowing back, as well as the knowledge that they had are grownup in the same village. but, he had no idea that they were in a relationship. The thought struck him like a brick to the face, as he tried to compose himself. If he hadn't already hated him before, now he definitely hated him. "Well, isn't that a coincidence," said Hans coldly as he downed the last of drink.

"I can't believe that's she here…and that this is what she does." While he had looked like he enjoyed the women dancing before, it didn't look like he approved her doing so. "I think I'm going to back stage and see if I can find her."

"Go right ahead, I'll be here finishing up the bottle," Hans said as he grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it. He remembered Fredrick talking about how she was a dancer, but he didn't realize that this was where she worked. This night just kept getting worse and worse he thought as he drank the rest of the scotch.

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Sorry this chapter took so long, its been a crazy two weeks. I'll try to post the next chapter by tomorrow if possible, but I can't promise. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for those who reviewed, and let me know what you think about this latest installment :)


	14. Chapter 14

Back stage Heinrich walked by all the doors, looking for the one that held Elizabeth behind it. He was quickly stopped by a man who asked, "Sir, what are you doing here, this area is for authorized personal only."

"Maybe you could help me; I'm looking For Elizabeth Himmel. Do you know where she is?"

The man looked at Heinrich up and down, debating if he should just toss him out now, or asks Miss Elizabeth if she knows him. While he looked important, he also looked completely drunk. Against his better judgment he told Heinrich he would right back, and went into the dressing room asking if she was expecting a guest. Elizabeth knew exactly who was looking for her, and she didn't want to speak him.

"Tell him I've already left, I don't want to see him tonight."

The man nodded and went to Heinrich and repeated what she had said. He blew up at the man and pushed him aside, knowing she hadn't left yet. He burst into the dressing room and demanded to see Elizabeth. He was stumbling around and knocking over things scaring the others girls in the room. Elizabeth was horrified and went up to Heinrich in attempt to extinguish the situation before it got worse. She decided to pull him into another room, where they could be alone and he couldn't embarrass her any longer.

"What the hell are you doing," she asked as she closed the door behind them. "You're drunk," she added as she watched him sway back and forth.

"And you're a whore," he snapped back at her. "I can't believe you work in a place like this. Do you do extra on the side? What would you do if I slipped you a few dollar bills?'

She slapped him hard on the right cheek, something she had always wanted to do to him, but never had the courage. Livid, he raised his hand and slapped her across the face with such force that she fell back wards and hit the ground hard.

"How dare you hit me," he said through clenched teeth.

He made a move towards her and she screamed. She put her hands in front of her face to protect it, but I didn't matter. Heinrich grabbed her, lifted her up and slammed her on the wall; his grip was so hard that his nails were digging into her skin, causing her to bleed. He was about to throw her across the room when at that moment the door swung open and Hans appeared and Heinrich dropped her to the floor.

"What is going on in here," he yelled. He saw Elizabeth on floor and helped her on to her feet. When she was up to his eye level Hans noticed the red mark on her face.

"Did you strike her," he asked in disbelief.

"The little bitch did it to me first." Hans cut him off there and told him, "Don't bother with your explanation I don't care. I don't associate myself with men who hit women; you are no longer my partner."

"You can't do…"

Hans cut him off again, "Oh yes I can. And I think you should keep your mouth shut. Because if you don't I'll make sure to make your life a living hell."

On that note Hans wrapped his arm around Elizabeth and led her out of the room. He immediately took her to his car, where Herman was waiting and slid her inside not bothering to tell anyone what he was doing. Once inside the car, he took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

"Herman, take us to Elizabeth's house please."

"No," she begged. "I don't want to be alone right now."

"Okay," Hans said softly. "Just take us back to my home then."

When they arrived at his house, he delicately walked her up the stairs and into his study. He laid her out across a plush, leather couch near the fireplace and put a warm, fur blanket over her. On the car hide over she had calmed down, but she still looked very upset so Hans asked if she would like a drink.

"Yes please," she answered. "A whiskey would be nice.

While he went over to the other side of the room to make her drink, she got up and started looking around. She was amazed by the room; it looked more like a public library than a private study. All four walls were covered in shelves which housed thousands of books. She walked up to a wall and slid her hand over the worn book spines, examining them. Most were in German, but she recognized some French, Italian, and English titles. She picked up a copy of one her favorite books, The Wizard of Oz. When she was younger she had enjoyed it because she had wanted be plucked out her life and place in a new magical world too. And for her it had happened, when was put on a boat by her parent in New York and sent to live her aunt in Germany.

Hans saw her looking through his books, usually he hated it when people touched his things, but with her he didn't care. "See something you like?" he asked curious at what had caught her eye.

She blushed and said, "Yes, The Wizard of Oz. I used to love this book when I was younger; I'm surprised you have it."

He walked over to her and handed her the glass of whiskey and said, "I collect books in every language I can read. If I hear of a new book that's making a splash I buy it. I guess it's my own personal form of escape. I found that one a bit odd, but interesting none the less."

Elizabeth placed the book back and stepped toward the fire to warm her body up. Even though it was nearly spring time, the nights were still cold and bitter. Hans walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You should really lie down and wrap the blanket around you, it will make you feel better."

"I'm fine," she said as she took her first sip of whiskey. It burned more than she expected and she coughed just slightly. The burn felt good and it warmed her whole body.

Hans was concerned about her, she hadn't talked much since he took her from the club and he wanted to make sure she was going to be alright. He knew she had to be shaken by what had happened back there, but he still wasn't exactly sure what had happened in the first place. What could she have done to make Heinrich want to hit her? He had waited for her bring it up first, but she hadn't so he decided that it was time for him to finally ask.

"So if you don't mind me asking, what happened back there with Heinrich?"

She stiffened at the mention of his name, but then a smirk danced across her lips. "Hmph, I'm not even sure. I'm still in shock that he was even there."

"He said he knew you," Hans pressed on.

Now Elizabeth laughed, but it wasn't a happy laugh, it was hallow one. "Ja, we knew each other, we knew each other quite well actually. We were together before, for a long time."

"What happened?" Hans was growing impatient and he wanted to know.

She looked over at him with sad eyes. "He became obsessed with the Third Reich, he wanted to fulfill his duty but he had to stay behind to help his father with their farm. And over time he began to take his frustrations out on me." She smiled a weak smile and turned away from Hans and looked thoughtfully into the fire.

"How?" he asked even though he knew the answer.

"The same way he did tonight."

"He used to hit you…Repeatedly?"

She nodded yes still looking into the fire, refusing to look Hans in the eyes. Hans filled with rage at the thought of that trash hitting her. He knew that he wasn't a man, what a coward. Hans couldn't describe the feeling he was feeling after hearing her confession, but he did feel a stronger connection with her now that she had trusted him with her dark secret. He walked over to her and in a moment of intimacy he grabbed her and brought her to his chest. He held her tight, not wanting to let her go. He wanted to protect her from everything and not let her hurt anymore. He felt her embrace him back and it was the best feeling he had ever felt.

Bravery, he softly cupped her face and kissed her lips. At first it felt like she was going to pull away, but instead she kissed back, combing her fingers in his hair. The kiss turned passionate and they landed on the couch with Hans on top her. Encouraged, he began kissing her all over, down her neck to her decolletage. She was breathing heavy now, and Hans was sure she was enjoying it. With the conversation of only a few moments ago long forgotten, he lifted her up and took her to his bedroom and laid her down in his large bed. Tonight he wouldn't be feeling lonely. He locked the door, and they spent the rest of the night making passionate love, lost in each others world.

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Authors note:

Sorry this chapter took long, but I hope you enjoyed it.


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